Top 3 Fuel Efficient Innovators for Trucking
At ExpressIFTA we have been following the latest CARB Emissions Rulings and are interested in how your favorite trucking manufactures are preparing for the future of lower emissions in the transportation industry. Do you know what Mack, Freightliner, and Peterbilt engineers have been up to in the recent years? They have been advancing fuel efficient technology to help truckers reach an industry wide reduction in harmful pollutant emissions. So what exactly has been done to improve your truck’s engine efficiency?
Freightliner
Freightliner has created 2 innovative clean drive systems – Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) & Blue Tec Emissions Technology – to help trucks exceed EPA standards while remaining cost-efficient. Their Blue Tec Emissions technology has been proven to increase performance with every drop of diesel fuel, reduce more pollutants from exhaust gases, and improve profitability from every mile covered. Nitrogen and water are the resulting emissions and are safe elements that exist in the air we breathe.
Freightliner has also created a line of natural gas vehicles. The Business Class M2-112 and vocational 114SD are fitted with the Cummins Westport ISL G engine – a spark-ignited natural gas engine that shares a common block with the Cummins’ ISL diesel engine. There are many advantages to the natural gas engine; a maintenance-free after-treatment system with a three-way passive catalyst, no additional after-treatment devices, and the only factory-installed and warranted natural gas solution in a conventional truck.
And they didn’t stop at natural gas vehicles, Freightliner even has a line of Hybrid-Electric Vehicles. These vehicles have a parallel hybrid drive system that allows the vehicle to be powered by the diesel engine or electric motor, either separately or together. The Business Class Freightliner M2 106 Hybrid utilizes an Eaton parallel-electric hybrid system. This system is able to take energy normally lost during braking – up to 44kW, or 60hp – and stores it in the truck’s lithium ion batteries.
Peterbilt
Introduced in 2012, Peterbilt’s landmark Model 579 broke new ground in aerodynamic efficiency and fuel economy. To raise the bar, Peterbilt created the EPIQ package for the 579 that provides an even greater improved fuel efficiency by up to 10%. Peterbilt Chief Engineer, Landon Sproull, says “It utilizes an enhanced drive train – including Peterbilt’s new combination of the PACCAR MX-13 Engine and Fuller Advantage UltraShift transmission – all available aerodynamic options and optimized spec’ing through our proprietary software system used throughout our dealer network.”
The EPIQ option includes a complete aerodynamic package, a PACCAR MX-13 Engine, fuller advantage automated transmission, single horizontal exhaust, SmarTire pressure monitoring system, low rolling resistance tires, and optimized spec’ing software.
Kenworth
Kenworth has taken their T680 model truck and redesigned it to introduce a natural-gas version. This new truck sports a 52-inch midroof sleeper and the new Cummins Westport ISX12 G 400-hp natural gas engine. They have also included an Eaton UltraShift Plus automated transmission option. All these features combined help maximize fuel economy and driver comfort.
These truck manufacturers are really going the extra mile to improve fuel efficiency and driving technology. Lower-emissions laws will only spread throughout the entire country and it is exciting to see what they will introducing next.
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