The low-hanging fruit when it comes to fuel economy has all been picked. Now truck and engine makers are examining every part and component of the truck in exacting detail to figure out where they can cut the smallest amount of drag or the small parasitic loss of power that drag down fuel economy. Deborah Lockridge offers two examples in the "All That's Trucking" blog.
The Freightliner Cascadia Evolution uses small component and part changes to add up to fuel economy gains.
3 min to read
The Freightliner Cascadia Evolution uses small component and part changes to add up to fuel economy gains.
The low-hanging fruit when it comes to fuel economy has all been picked. Now truck and engine makers are examining every part and component of the truck in exacting detail to figure out where they can cut the smallest amount of drag or the small parasitic loss of power that drag down fuel economy. Here are two examples used on the Freightliner Cascadia Evolution:
No Antenna Drag
Bulky cab and roof antennas will no longer cause air resistance in the new generation of Freightliner trucks, while making it impossible to damage the antennas during operation.
Ad Loading...
A unique film antenna package developed by Hirschmann Car Communication Inc. can be integrated in the body of the tractor unit. It requires no external components, and the company says it achieves the best transmission and reception quality for CB radio, AM/FM stations and weather information radio channels.
The antennas are adapted to the available installation space, fitting perfectly between the structural body panels and the interior lining of the cab. They can't be seen from the inside or the outside of the truck.
The collaboration with Freightliner began five years ago. After developing and testing, the prototype was featured on Freightliner’s aerodynamically optimized Innovation Truck in 2009. The concept led to the development of the new model, the Cascadia Evolution, which was launched in January 2013.
Demand-Driven Coolant Pumps
Behr's patented Visco technology for engine-coolant pumps reduces "parasitic" power losses that affect fuel economy. First introduced on 13-liter diesel engines in Europe, Behr's new demand-driven system recently became available on commercial vehicles sold in North America.
Behr says its system has the potential to reduce annual fuel costs for long-haul truck operators by up to 1% per vehicle.
The electronically controlled Visco system varies coolant-pump speeds based on engine requirements and operating conditions. Variable-speed Visco fan drives for truck engines have been available since the 1970s, but this is the industry's first coolant-pump application.
Heavy-truck coolant pumps today are almost exclusively tied linearly to engine-speed via belt drives. Since these pumps are designed to meet coolant requirements under maximum load conditions, flow rates at many operating points exceed actual need, with a resulting drain on fuel economy.
Behr's technology hydraulically isolates engine-input speeds and minimizes power consumption under high-speed operation and light-engine loads where maximum flow rates are not required.
The Visco pump's control logic is embedded in an engine-control module. Although the pump is tied to a belt drive, energy is transferred hydraulically to an impeller. The amount of energy transfer depends on the amount of silicone oil in an operating chamber managed through a closed-loop control system.
Daimler Trucks North America says it is using a similar technology on the newly designed DD15, which is exclusively available in the Cascadia Evolution.
Ad Loading...
"We refer to it as the 'variable speed water pump'," explains Brad Williamson, manager of engine and component marketing for DTNA. The pumps "decrease parasitic loss when the engine temperature is such that we don't need to flow 'normal' levels of coolant."
Cummins, on the other hand, recently introduced a new global engine platform, the G Series, which it says "offers fuel efficiency through parasitic-reducing technology without variable-flow pumps that add unnecessary cost and reduce reliability."
TaaS. Does that mean trucks as a service, trailers as a service, or tires as a service? HDT's Deborah Lockridge has another takeaway from the Technology & Maintenance Council meeting in her blog.
HDT Editor and Associate Publisher Deborah Lockridge is a longtime Girl Scout leader and loves to connect her passion for inspiring girls with her love of the trucking industry.
No matter who wins the election, trucking continues to work to educate the people who pass the laws and make the rules that affect the industry. HDT's Deborah Lockridge shares insights from two major trucking associations in her All That's Trucking blog.
Skimping on vacation may be the worst thing you can do for your business, your career, and your mental health. In her All That's Trucking blog, Deborah Lockridge writes about the importance of giving your brain what it needs to be innovative.
Read Deborah Lockridge's picks for the most significant stories we covered at HDT in 2023: freight recession, zero-emission trucks, drivers and marijuana, and more.
HDT's Deborah Lockridge talks about key themes that emerged during sessions, conversations, and on the show floor during the American Trucking Associations' annual management conference.
In her All That's Trucking blog, Deborah Lockridge shares a follow-up to last year's story about a FedEx Ground contractor who was very publicly challenging the company about alleged unfair treatment of its contractors.
Curiosity about how Girl Scout cookies get from the factory to the customer drove the development of a supply patch program. HDT's Deborah Lockridge, a Girl Scout herself, writes about it in her All That's Trucking blog.
