Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85369
PRODUCT REVIEWS, OEM & SUPPLIER NEWS AND EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT TRENDS BY JACK ROBERTS ➡ New reality. The days of sedentary, logical en- ➡ Plentiful resource. The United States has ➡ New technology. Manufacturers are ergy markets are over. an abundant supply of natural gas. building better natural gas engines. bubbling under the ground, it turns out the good ol' USA did pretty well, too: We're sit- ting on top of the largest de- posit of natural gas reserves in the world. Even better, we can run cars and trucks on this stuff – and we've got enough on hand to last us for 100 or even 250 years or more, according to experts. Is compressed natural gas or propane as good as gaso- line or diesel? Frankly, no – they don't have the BTUs or the range that diesel and gas offer; that's why they never were adopted as automotive fuels in the first place. Both CNG and propane yield roughly a 12 percent drop in general vehicle efficiency compared to diesel and gas. But today's fleet managers are realizing they can work with that number. Natural gas now is selling for about $2 a gallon – making it, in Chu's words, a "no-brainer" for our country and our future. There are problems: Infrastructure is lagging, and acquisition costs remain high, although Chu says the government is working hard with the private sector to address those issues as quickly as possible. The other good news is that our current level of engine and vehicle computing technology now allows manufacturers to build trucks, buses and vans running natural gas engines that work better than ever. I drove some new CNG and propane vehicles that were intro- duced at the NTEA show, and their performance was impressive; in many cases, you'd be hard-pressed to tell you were driving a natural gas vehicle if you weren't aware of it beforehand. There certainly will be some growing pains in the days ahead, but at least we know we have a way out of the oil price-spike nightmare. But when will the ma- jority of fleets move toward natural gas? Only time will tell. JACK ROBERTS is Executive Editor of Commer- cial Carrier Journal. E-mail jroberts@ccjmaga- zine.com or call (205) 248-1358. Freightliner's Cascadia is such a familiar truck on the road today that it's hard to remember what a startling sight it was when introduced in 2007. The huge grille opening, the sculpted doors, the visorless windshield, the pedestal-mounted mirrors and the stubby side extenders – all of it was new, the result of extensive wind tunnel testing. Top performer For fuel economy performance, the Freightliner Cascadia is a leader – with maintenance ease, comfort, power and durability to boot BY STEVE STURGESS S ince the introduction of Kenworth's T600 in the 1980s, manufacturers have been refining the aerodynamics of the conventional tractor. A wind-cheating design has become critically important given that at speeds above 50 mph, the effort in pushing the wind aside is the major contributor to marginal fuel use. To develop the Freightliner Cascadia, Daimler Trucks North America designed its own wind tunnel in Portland, Ore. More than 2,500 hours were spent testing and redesign- ing using full-size models to create the new truck. Since its introduction in 2007, the Cascadia has been back in the wind tunnel to make it one of the most aerodynamic trucks ever on America's highways. The extension of the fender line into the doors is no styling exercise, though it does make the Cascadia distinctive from the side. More importantly, flowing lines help manage the airflow along the cab and sleeper. The visor is back as an option, though it performs a useful function in helping move the air over the rooftop. Side extenders have grown a little to keep the air flowing smoothly onto the trailer sides. With a huge grille accommodating a 1,625-square-inch ra- diator, form and function are at one: The big opening draws COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | APRIL 2012 27 The truck is among the most aerody- namic ever on America's highways.