Mar 4, 2009 10:56 AM

Kraft Foods Inc. has added another green ingredient to its DiGiorno Pizza line—a diesel-electric hybrid delivery truck equipped with a RouteMax refrigerated truck body for frozen and refrigerated capabilities.

Representatives from Navistar presented the keys to the International DuraStar Hybrid with a RouteMax refrigerated body to Kraft Foods during the annual National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show in Chicago.

This International DuraStar Hybrid truck with RouteMax refrigerated body is a pilot unit and is the first of its kind on the road. The energy-saving system in this delivery truck is expected to offer Kraft Foods as much as a 30 percent fuel saving versus a traditional diesel-powered truck.

The International DuraStar Hybrid uses a mild parallel-type, diesel-electric hybrid architecture, developed by Eaton Corporation, which leads to less diesel fuel use and fewer emissions. The hybrid-electric system utilizes a regenerative braking system to recover energy normally lost during braking, stores the energy in batteries, and adds power back into the driveline during starts and acceleration.

This truck also features RouteMax, a self-powered, extended-route cold plate refrigeration system offered exclusively through Navistar in cooperation with Johnson Truck Bodies. Onboard power from the hybrid system provides power for the refrigeration system to accelerate body temperature recovery during the truck’s daily operation, nearly doubling the length of time its cold plates provide cooling for cargo and protecting assets. RouteMax is an efficient alternative to a traditional diesel-powered refrigerated blower unit, saving as much as 1,400 gallons of fuel per year.