Quote:
Originally Posted by Xist
You think mail trucks see more abuse than taxis? Most taxis around here are Prii.
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I would say more then Taxis. A driving route has probably 700-1300 stops. So for 7-11 hours the truck idles, accelerates 50 feet, brakes 50 feet, (no just rolling box to box) and idles some more. It is suggested to take it out of gear while at the box as well. Most of this travel is not on the nice pretty road but on the shoulder, storm drains, potholes, ruts, etc. Also 100s of turns per day full lock to full lock around parked cars. Now add snow piled up along the boxes, probably all the snow from the street. So you dive in to it, probably get stuck, rock it back and forth spinning heavy chains, and repeat 100s of times per day. Then go park it outside in -10 weather overnight and start over the next day. Then in the summer it's 100 degrees out and the whole thing just gets saturated with heat, idling endlessly. Average payload not counting driver is probably 300-800 pounds. The truck does this 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year. I get about 6 miles per gallon from a little 4 cylinder in an aluminum body and I actually turn it off for long periods during the day delivering inside business and to those large cluster boxes. The big driving routes may only go 10 miles a day but have to put 10-12 gallons in every 3rd day. A hybrid would be ideal but could it take the 1.5 million start/stops the Post Office is asking for on a 5 year warranty? After the warranty is up will it be more costly then the current simple 4 cylinder 3 speed rwd drivetrain that is costing 1 billion per year now?