According to Bill Warf, project manager with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, a partner in the project, the system enables a driver to plug into shorepower to run in-cab heat and air conditioning and auxiliary devices, or use battery power if plug-ins are not available.

Under the grant, fleets purchase a tailored, onboard idle-reduction technology package and EPRI reimburses 50% of the cost. EPRI's project team will assist the fleet with the installation of the first few systems.

Warf said participants must track the reduced idle time and maintenance costs for 12 months, the fleet is then obligated to reinvest those savings in additional idle-reduction technologies.

Warf added that the result is also a direct savings of more than $2,000 a year in fuel, based on $1.49 per gallon for diesel, and a reduction of 425 lb. of NOx and 11 tons of CO2 per year, per truck.