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Which new hybrid has ten wheels and flies?
It sounded like a garbage truck and smelled like one, too. Aside from the giant pastoral scene on its side, it even looked like a standard-issue New York City garbage truck.
But the 36-ton refuse collector that rumbled out of the Department of Sanitation's Central Repair Shop in Queens earlier this month with a reporter on board was equipped with a diesel-electric powertrain, one of just a handful of hybrid garbage trucks being tested around the country. This one was built by Mack Trucks, which is part of the Volvo Group.
The new trucks are expected to reduce fuel consumption by about 30 percent, which means potential savings of millions of dollars once the city adds more hybrids to its fleet. Exhaust emissions are expected to be cut by a similar amount.