Daimler Says SuperTruck Program Shows 115% Efficiency Improvement (with video)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Daimler Trucks North America said its Freightliner SuperTruck has achieved 115% freight-efficiency improvement, more than doubling the Department of Energy’s goal of 50% improvement.
The announcement was made here March 25 at the Mid-America Trucking Show, and the Portland, Oregon-based truck maker displayed the concept vehicle as the centerpiece of its exhibit space.
DTNA said its final SuperTruck demonstrator ran a five-day, 312-mile round trip on Interstate 35 between San Antonio and Dallas. Running at a weight of 65,000 pounds and a speed of 65 mph, the truck achieved an average result of 12.2 miles per gallon.
During the SuperTruck’s unveling, Diane Hames, DTNA’s general manager of marketing and strategy, described the project as a “playground for our engineers to come up with new ideas and explore things that we wouldn’t necessarily have been able to do otherwise.”
The SuperTruck features many ideas that DTNA can use and integrate into future products, she said.
Several technologies developed in conjunction with the program have been introduced in the Freightliner Cascadia Evolution, including aerodynamic components and the integrated Detroit powertrain.
It also explored other technologies such as mirror cameras and an articulating grille that opens during low-speed and high-torque conditions to maximize cooling flow and automatically closes at highway speeds to reduce aerodynamic drag.
“We are thrilled with the positive results and are honored to have been part of the program,” said Derek Rotz, principal investigator for SuperTruck at DTNA. “It is our expectation that we will continue to review and refine what we’ve learned and achieved over the course of the SuperTruck initiative and use that knowledge to bolster our leadership in fuel efficiency.”
DTNA’s SuperTruck program was funded through a $40 million DOE grant and a matching investment from the company.
DOE’s SuperTruck program was a five-year research and development initiative to improve freight efficiency by at least 50%, brake thermal efficiency by 50% and reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions of Class 8 trucks.
