Super Trucks: Pie in the Sky, or Pathway to Super Fuel Savings?
Volvo Truck’s SuperTruck was revealed in September 2016. It achieved more than 12 mpg during the test run, and demonstrated an 88% improvement in freight efficiency and a 70% improvement in fuel efficiency over the baseline truck, a 2009 Volvo VNL 670. Photo: Jim Park
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Volvo Truck’s SuperTruck was revealed in September 2016. It achieved more than 12 mpg during the test run, and demonstrated an 88% improvement in freight efficiency and a 70% improvement in fuel efficiency over the baseline truck, a 2009 Volvo VNL 670. Photo: Jim Park
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The September 2016 unveiling of Navistar’s SuperTruck brought to a close the first round of the U.S. Department of Energy funded research and development project aimed at improving freight efficiency and reducing heavy-truck fuel consumption. The results were spectacular. And that begs the question, where do we go from here?
HDT reported on each SuperTruck as it was unveiled, and looking back, one can see the similarities in the various approaches the truck makers took, as well as those unique to each project.
The most obvious development in each case was the aerodynamic work. All the OEs went long on aero, an easy target. That’s not to say the task was simple, as there was extensive design work along with modeling and testing. But at the end of the day, the closer each could get to the ideal aerodynamic shape, i.e., something similar to a rain drop, the greater the gains would be. Each OE ran into the brick wall of trailer shape, of course, but added a lot of bolt-on gear to the trailer to change what they could.
All used full-length trailer skirts that reached from close to the ground up to the bottom rail of the trailer. The problem is the potential for body damage resulting from day-to-day use. Fleets would never accept the maintenance problems associated with that sort of side skirt, but it’s interesting to note that some of today’s newer products are taller than previous versions. Maybe there is a growing acceptance that the aero benefits might outweigh the maintenance headaches.
