Filed under: Manufacturing/Plants, Legislation and Policy, USA



Think 10 miles per gallon, and your mind may harken back to muscle cars along the line of the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard. Apply that figure to a semi-truck, though, and we're talking actual fuel-efficiency gains. That's what the four-year-old SuperTruck program shot for, and two of its four teams have already hit that goal.

The SuperTruck program launched in 2010 with four teams led by Cummins, Daimler, Navistar and Volvo, and the goal of the US Department of Energy-funded program was to raise fuel-efficiency for Class 8 tractor-trailer trucks by 50 percent from the typical six miles-per-gallon range. Such gains by the industry would mean 300 million fewer barrels of oil consumed in the US each year and $30 billion less spent on fuel annually.

With President Obama in February outlining details for improved heavy-duty truck fuel efficiency standards and groups like the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) joining in, such fuel-efficiency gains are in the works. In fact, already, the Cummins and Daimler teams have already boosted fuel economy by more than 50 percent. Waste-heat recovery systems, more efficient transmissions and better aerodynamics are among the improvements truck makers are applying to boost fuel economy. Check out the Department of Energy's press release below.Continue reading SuperTruck program claws out huge fuel efficiency gains for semi trucks

SuperTruck program claws out huge fuel efficiency gains for semi trucks originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 11 Jun 2014 10:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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