Research: The commercial vehicle fuel efficiency report
Date published: Friday, May 21, 2010
Description
With fuel costs now significantly higher than they were only a few years ago, increasing global oil demand and growing concern regarding greenhouse gas emissions, the transportation industry is coming under increasing pressure to improve fuel efficiency.
Fuel consumption has always been a significant cost for truck and bus operators and has increased during recent years. With this in mind, OEMs and suppliers are continuing to pursue improved engine efficiency through the use of numerous technologies, including high pressure fuel injection, advanced supercharging, hybridisation and efficient ancillaries. Complementing these are advances in transmission efficiency, aerodynamics, weight reduction, reduced tyre rolling resistance and a raft of technologies as diverse as the use of telematics for route optimisation and electricity generation through exhaust heat retrieval.
Table of contents:
Table of contents
List of figures
Executive summary
Introduction
Market drivers
Regulations
Carbon dioxide emissions and fuel economy
Idling reduction
Energy security
Fuel prices
Incentives
OEM commitment
Market barriers
Cost
Diversity of design
Competition from other transportation modes
Getting from research laboratory to production
Market dynamics and forecasts
Technology developments
Engines
Supercharging
Direct fuel injection
Variable valve actuation
Homogeneous charge compression ignition
Alternative engine designs
Idle-stop
Idling reduction
Acceleration control
Predictive cruise control
Efficient ancillaries
Electric power steering
Electric air conditioning
Electric supercharging
Cooling fans
Air compressor clutch
Drivetrain hybridisation
Hybrid buses
Hybrid trucks
Retrofit systems
Aerodynamics
Truck cabs and tractors
Fifth wheel gaps
Trailer rear
Side skirts
Wheel covers
Tarpaulins
Tyres
Low rolling resistance tyres
Tyre pressure monitoring systems
Transmissions
Planetary automatic transmissions
Automated manual transmissions
Toroidal infinitely-variable transmissions
Weight reduction
Steel
Cast iron
Aluminium
Magnesium
Plastics
Lubrication
Logistics
Lighting
Other energy efficiency technologies
Generating electricity from exhaust heat
Converting shock absorber energy to electricity
Fuel reforming additives
