Switching to high strength, low weight aluminum in Class 8 trucks and trailers can eliminate 3,300 pounds from the vehicle weight and save as much as 1,612 gallons of fuel and 17.9 tons of carbon dioxide per year
, according to a report released by Ricardo Inc. If this were applied to the U.S.'s two million Class 8 vehicles on the roads, this could save 1 billion gallons of diesel and 10 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.

The study was conducted by Ricardo Inc., a provider of technology, product innovation, engineering solutions and strategic consulting to the automotive, transport and energy industries, and commissioned by the Aluminum Association Inc.'s Aluminum Transportation Group (ATG), which communicates the benefits of aluminum in ground transportation applications to help accelerate its penetration through research programs and related outreach activities.

The study set out to analyze the fuel efficiency impact of lightweighting Class 8 trucks and trailers by simulating different configurations of vehicles and payload conditions for the major drive cycles that represent commercial transportation in the U.S.

Today, the average Class 8 vehicle uses over 1,000 pounds of aluminum; however, this new study says that by using even more aluminum, transporters can load their vehicles with 6.5 percent more payload at gross vehicle weight.

"With many challenges facing the commercial vehicle industry, including fuel and operating costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and federal mandates that add weight to vehicles, high strength, yet low weight aluminum offers cost-effective, real-world solutions available today," said Randall Scheps, chairman of the Aluminum Association's Aluminum Transportation Group and Alcoa's director of ground transportation.

In addition to the impact of weight savings alone, the study analyzed the combination of weight savings and aerodynamic drag reduction. When combining the weight reduction potential available with an 8 percent improvement in aerodynamic drag, the overall fuel economy improvement for an aluminum-intense vehicle relative to the conventional vehicle was as high as 8.2 percent.

"Opting for advanced aluminum solutions over traditional steel applications in Class 8 trucks and trailer construction creates opportunities for the industry to increase fuel efficiency and payload capacity, decrease operating costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Scheps. "The return on investment for switching to more advanced materials like aluminum is even higher when lightweighting is combined with other improvements like aerodynamics, engine optimization, and low rolling resistance."

The report also points out that using aluminum can lower maintenance costs due to fewer trips and less miles on the truck. Aluminum components are also corrosion-resistant, and they're infinitely recyclable.

For a copy of the study, visit aluminumintransportation.org/main/resources/research.