Hybrids go heavy

The payoff for hybrid technology is high for vehicles with hefty payloads.

With the price of oil on a scary and sharp upward trajectory, it's not surprising that operators of heavy-truck fleets are looking for ways to improve fuel efficiency. It would be crazy not to give hybrid-electric technology a look, and indeed some companies with truck fleets have stared it right in the eye and said, “Let's give it a try.” For most companies, however, it remains a peripheral image.

That may change as companies such as Eaton and Azure work to make hybrid technology as eye-catching to heavy-truck operators as it is to the general public.