Five Manufacturers on Track to Meet SuperTruck Goals

WASHINGTON — Five manufacturers are on their way toward meeting the Department of Energy’s goal of increasing a truck’s efficiency by 50% under the agency’s SuperTruck program, a DOE official said.

The manufacturers have until 2014 to meet the goal set by the program, which aims to encourage development of new, innovative, high-risk technologies to improve freight efficiency on heavy-duty trucks, said Roland Gravel, who oversees SuperTruck at DOE.

“SuperTruck is about developing high-risk technologies and breaking new ground so we can move towards energy independence,” Gravel said in a session of SAE International’s annual Washington meeting.

“Currently, all SuperTruck projects are on schedule to meet the 50% freight-efficiency goal, although I think they all find it quite challenging,” Gravel said. The session focused on current and future efforts to increase fuel efficiency and decrease emissions for heavy- and medium-duty vehicles.

Starting in 2009, DOE gave grants to Volvo Trucks North America, Daimler Trucks North America, Navistar Inc. and a partnership of engine maker Cummins Inc. and truck maker Peterbilt Motors Co. for each to develop a Class 8 truck that is 50% more efficient than an average 2009 truck, Gravel said.

DOE asked grantees to attain 40% of their efficiency gains from engine improvements, with the remaining 60% coming from “other vehicle systems, which include aerodynamics, lightweighting and drivetrain friction reduction,” Gravel said.

The program costs $270 million in total, between DOE grants and matches from the manufacturers.

Some of the manufacturers are also including hybrid diesel-electric technologies to meet the non-engine part of the efficiency goal, he said.

The Cummins and Peterbilt team is focusing on developing “clean diesel” technology, combined wth waste-heat recovery in the engine, Gravel said. Peterbilt is working on an aerodynamic truck for the team’s final product.

Calling the Cummins/Peterbilt approach “comprehensive,” Gravel said the truck will be lightweight and integrate advanced transmission technologies, idling reduction and low-rolling-resistance tires, among other features.

“They’re up to about 48% at this point,” Gravel said, saying the group is close to the 50% goal.

Daimler’s approach includes downsizing the engine, plus the waste-heat recovery system and aerodynamics that are common among the program’s participants. “They’re a little more focused on hybridization,” Gravel said.

Daimler has redesigned its standard exhaust gas aftertreatment system, a project that it completed in 2011.

Navistar is already working on a second complete prototype toward its goal, Gravel said. The truck maker is focusing heavily on truck aerodynamics, but includes idling reduction, low-rolling-resistance tires and engine friction reduction.

“The 50% target is in sight,” Gravel said of Navistar’s project.

Volvo is focusing on inefficiencies in the entire truck-trailer combination, especially in relation to aerodynamics, he said. The truck maker is putting its efforts also into waste-heat recovery, idling reduction and advanced materials, among other provisions.

Volvo started later than the other manufacturers, Gravel said. Because of that, it has only completed initial studies and modeling, but it should be able to reach the goal, he said.