Auxiliary Power Dynamics, manufacturer of the Willis auxiliary power unit, has been selected as an APU supplier for an Oregon pilot program designed to improve air quality and reduce diesel exhaust emissions among trucks.
The Lane (County) Regional Air Pollution Authority of Eugene OR has placed an initial order for Willis APUs to be installed on heavy-duty trucks that travel the Interstate 5 corridor between California and Washington state.
Under the program, LRAPA borrowed money from the Oregon Department of Energy to buy the APUs. LRAPA will lease the units to truck operators that qualify under a five-year lease with option to buy. As part of the lease, the agency will pay to install the APUs.
Nine truck operators have been approved to lease the Willis APU, and 15 more are being processed. The goal is to install 10 units per month under the lease program and to encourage other trucking firms to buy units from the manufacturers in the program. Oregon-based trucking firms that buy the unit could qualify for a 35% tax credit against their Oregon tax bill.
The Willis APU uses less than a quart of fuel per hour to cool a truck cab or a pint of fuel per hour to heat a truck. It contains an alternator for electrical power, an A/C compressor for cooling, and a heat exchanger to extract waste heat for cab and sleeper heating. APD offers options such as an air compressor, air starter, oil pump for pre-lubricating the engine. Also offered is a 1,750-watt inverter for AC power.