EPA Has Money for Idle-Reduction

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering a grant that will pay half the cost of installing a battery-powered air-conditioning package for trucks as part of an anti-idling demonstration project.

The system includes a 7,000 BTU Tundra air conditioner made by Domestic Corp., integrated with an inverter, battery charger, batteries and Amp-hour meter. Electric power for the conditioner comes directly from the batteries through the inverter without need of idling the main engine. The air conditioner batteries are separate from the truck’s primary batteries.

Through the grant, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and the Electric Power Research Institute will subsidize installation. In return, fleets are obligated to assist with installation, provide engine computer downloads to track idle reduction time, assist with driver surveys, and reinvest energy and maintenance savings from the first year in other idle-reduction equipment.

SMUD has tested prototypes and is working with several large fleets to implement the demonstration project.