Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/661417
|Tomorrow's Trucks | SuperTruck II project announced by Department of Energy By Matt Cole 18 www.studentdriverplacement.com April '16 Freightliner's SuperTruck T he Department of Energy an- nounced in March its SuperTruck II ini a ve, which will push manu- facturers to improve heavy-duty freight effi ciency by more than 100 percent over the most fuel effi cient tractor-trailer combo from 2009. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Reuben Sarkar an- nounced the $80 million funding opportunity, subject to congressional appropriations, for research, develop- ment and demonstration of long-haul tractor-trailer technology at the Green- Truck Summit in Indianapolis. "Improving the effi ciency of com- mercial trucks is critical to reducing our petroleum consumption, strength- ening our clean energy economy and further reducing our contributions to climate change," Sarkar said. "This new funding will not only accelerate innovation but also foster rapid market adoption of new energy effi cient ve- hicle technologies." SuperTruck II projects will work to improve freight effi ciency with an emphasis on technology cost-effec- tiveness and performance, according to the DOE. The department says Su- perTruck II will utilize a variety of truck and trailer technology approaches to achieve performance targets, such as improvements in engine effi ciency, drivetrain effi ciency, aerodynamic drag, tire rolling resistance and ve- hicle weight. The original SuperTruck project launched in 2010 that resulted in a Cummins-Peterbilt partnership that produced a truck that averaged a 75 percent increase in fuel economy, a 43 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and an 86 percent gain in freight effi ciency in 24-hour, head-to-head testing against a 2009 baseline truck, as well as Freightliner's SuperTruck that boasted a 115 percent boost in vehicle freight effi ciency and sustained 12.2 miles per gallon logged at 65 miles per hour on a stretch of I-35 between San Antonio and Dallas, Texas. Sarkar also announced more than $12 million in grants for three new cost-shared projects focused on the research, development and demon- stration of plug-in electric powertrain technologies for medium- and heavy- duty vehicles. ◆