A partnership between ArvinMeritor and an art/design university yielded some creative approaches to designing the fuel-efficient truck of tomorrow. Their concepts will be displayed at a major trucking show this spring.

For the second year in a row, the truck components maker entered into a heavy-duty truck design partnership program with one of the nation's leading art/design universities, College for Creative Studies in Detroit. This year's semester-long program -- involving 15 senior-level students -- focused on impending government regulations to slash fuel consumption and emissions by 10 to 20 percent.

Navistar International's truck designers also consulted on the project.

"The new government regulations will change the way companies make trucks," said Mark West, professor and assistant chair of MFA Transportation Design at CCS, referring to the first-ever fuel economy standards for heavy trucks proposed last fall by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. (See "Fuel Economy, Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards Proposed for Commercial Trucks," 10/26/2010.)

"As professionals in the field, we know that it is important that students stay abreast of any new laws," West explained. "Designers must look at the entire picture when designing a vehicle, not just the aesthetics.

The students' designs addressed fuel efficiency, sustainability/recycling, and aerodynamic issues. The students also closely considered the vehicle's life expectancy, hybrid powers, integrated solar panels, highway safety, driver comfort and safety, and serviceability.

The multi-phase design program included extensive research, on-site visits with suppliers, and this year, some students were selected to receive scholarships.

This year's first place scholarship winner was Kelly Stieler, followed by second place winner Stephen Rapaski and third place winner Robert Liddell.

Students also developed digital models and physical scale exterior models of their concepts with valuable input from ArvinMeritor, along with engineering designers at Navistar International. The student models will be built full-scale and displayed at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., in late March.

The collaboration between CCS and ArvinMeritor was established in 1998 with the "Visions of the Future" automotive design competition.