Freightliner unveils big rig concept showcasing future technology
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Freightliner Innovation Truck
Daimler Trucks North America has used the Mid-America Trucking Show in Kentucky to release its latest concept in commercial-grade hauling. The Innovation Truck concept takes the fuel-saving innovations introduced on the Freightliner Cascadia, already the most aerodynamic of the company's trucks, and turns them up to eleven.
Included in the aero tweaks are rear wheel fairings, underbody panels, a roof deflector and a front air splitter. Further, the side mirrors were replaced with cameras to reduce drag. Once up to speed, the Innovation Truck can lower its ride height using air bladders, further reducing fuel usage. Wireless tire pressure monitoring sends data to an onboard navigation/infotainment screen in the cabin. Also present is Freightliner's new RunSmart Predictive Cruise control.
With such a focus on fuel savings, it's not surprising that Daimler has fitted the diesel powerplant with its BlueTec emissions after-treatment system, which injects a urea-based fluid directly into the exhaust to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. Lastly, ParkSmart VHAC technology allows the truck's climate control systems to operate without running the truck's engine using electricity from a second bank of batteries.
Daimler says that the Innovation Truck concept is meant to "show our customers what they can expect from us in the near future," so we'll be on the lookout for menacing flat black semi trucks the next time we're headed out for a road trip.
Gallery: Freightliner Innovation Truck
[Source: Daimler]
PRESS RELEASE:
Daimler Trucks North America Previews Latest Technologies on New Innovation Truck at Mid-America Trucking Show
PORTLAND, Ore. – March 19, 2009 – Building upon its extensive history in developing pioneering solutions, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is previewing the latest technologies on a new Innovation Truck at the Mid-America Trucking Show.
The Innovation Truck features advanced technologies directly from DTNA's development labs. It takes Freightliner Trucks' most aerodynamic solution – the Cascadia™ – and adds a sampling of cutting-edge advancements that will further enhance fuel economy.
"We've created the new Innovation Truck to highlight not only our existing technologies, but to show our customers what they can expect from us in the near future," said Elmar Boeckenhoff, senior vice president, Engineering and Technology for Daimler Trucks North America. "The Innovation Truck is part of our ongoing effort to shape future transportation by pushing the boundaries in engineering and technology."
A Legacy of Solutions
Since its inception more than 60 years ago, DTNA has been committed to its core values of innovation, quality and meeting customers' needs.
From its initial launch of the industry's first lightweight aluminum cab to the unveiling of the Cascadia in 2007, DTNA has continued to develop products that push the boundaries to enhance the driving experience and impact the bottom line.
"We always combine our extensive global engineering resources with our proven industry knowledge to create smart solutions," said Boeckenhoff. "We build all of our products with the customer in mind, and the Innovation Truck is no exception."
Tomorrow's Technology Today
Aerodynamics
Building on the highly successful Cascadia platform, the Innovation Truck reflects greater refinement in aerodynamics with the addition of rear wheel fairings to smooth the airflow around the rear wheels, under body panels that smooth air flow under the chassis, a roof deflector to direct air over the trailer, and a front air splitter incorporated into the front bumper to pass air around the truck.
The Innovation Truck also replaces the mirrors with side view cameras to further reduce drag. The camera system improves the field of view, eliminates blind spots, and reduces the typical "fish eye" effect.
Together these enhancements improve the airflow over, under, and around the vehicle – resulting in further fuel savings.
"What makes the Innovation Truck so aerodynamic is not just its shape, but the entire package – from bumper to tail lights," said Boeckenhoff.
Mechatronic Systems
Mechatronics integrates the electronic and mechanical worlds into systems that help to improve vehicle function and driver interaction.
One such system is the RunSmart Predictive Cruise™ system. A world premiere for heavy-duty trucking industry, this system offers significant fuel savings by combining the latest in GPS technology with digital mapping to provide a 3D profile of the road ahead. The truck evaluates the upcoming road profile more than one mile in advance and determines the most fuel efficient vehicle speed.
"The RunSmart Predictive Cruise system showcases our commitment to shape the future of transportation," said Boeckenhoff. "And with Freightliner, the future starts right now."
Chassis Systems
Further pushing the aerodynamic envelope, the Innovation Truck integrates a Dual Ride Height system that, at highway speeds, lowers the tractor height, reducing under chassis drag. This system utilizes a proprietary front air suspension in conjunction with Freightliner's popular rear air suspension.
"Aerodynamic drag reduction is at the foundation of DTNA's engineering efforts, but decreasing friction can also result in fuel economy savings," said Boeckenhoff.
The Innovation Truck is configured with a single drive axle that is complemented with a load management system that can transfer weight to the drive axle in low traction situations. This configuration also reduces weight and cost.
Tire pressure monitoring is another important part of keeping a truck as fuel efficient as possible, and the Innovation Truck features the newest option – a wireless SmarTire tire pressure monitoring system integrated with a Lectronix T7000 navigation/infotainment unit. This system not only more accurately reports tire pressure, but it also features an integrated display that simplifies pressure checks.
The Innovation Truck is EPA 2010 emissions compliant using Daimler's proven BlueTec® emissions technology. The exhaust after-treatment system is packaged under the right-hand step, and a diesel exhaust fluid reservoir is mounted on the left hand forward frame rail. BlueTec provides a solution for the new emission standards while improving fuel economy.
Power Systems
The ParkSmart™ HVAC System featured on the Innovation Truck is now available for the Cascadia. The system provides an integrated system solution for emission-free cooling and highly efficient heating without engine idling. Operating from a second bank of batteries, the ParkSmart system provides 8-10 hours of cooling and up to 34 hours in the heating mode, using a diesel-fired coolant heater.
The advantage of an electrically-driven HVAC system is that shore power extends operating time while eliminating emissions. As showcased on the Innovation Truck, a fuel cell that produces 3-5 kilowatts of power is enough power to operate convenience items during a 34-hour reset period.
"While the concept of the Innovation Truck is forward-thinking, many of these technologies are available right now or will be within this year," said Boeckenhoff. "We at Daimler Trucks North America are committed to leading the way into the future of trucking with outstanding fuel efficiency and customer-focused, innovative technologies. With us, the future is closer than you may think."
To view the Innovation Truck, visit Booth #30135 at MATS.
Click here to download images associated with the press release
For more information, call or visit your nearby Freightliner Trucks dealership or go to www.FreightlinerTrucks.com.
Freightliner Trucks is a division of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, headquartered in Portland, Ore., and is the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America. Daimler Trucks North America produces and markets Class 3-8 vehicles and is a Daimler company, the world's leading commercial vehicle manufacturer.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Carney 4:32PM (3/27/2009)
Diesel is very dirty, putting out even more smoke, soot, and particulate matter (SSPM), than gasoline. We've all seen (and sometimes smelled) the clouds of foul, gray-black smoke spewing up from the exhaust pipes (chimneys?) of big rigs, seen the gray film they and their container trailers are covered in (usually enough to write "wash me" into), and in winter seen how roadside snow turns a disgusting black (not brown from soil) thanks to SSPM. Smog from SSPM chokes Los Angeles, Houston, and other cities and the EPA says it kills 40,000 Americans a year. Clearly something has to be done.
But fuel conservation has been and will continue to be a failure. Increasing average car MPG's from 13 in 1976 to 20 in 1990 did not stop gasoline consumption from rising from 89 to 103 billion gallons in that same timeframe.
So, as nice as it sounds, increasing MPG's via streamlining, etc., while not bad in itself, is not the answer for big rigs either.
The real solution is to SWITCH to a different, cleaner fuel. But what?
Biodiesel? It offers a 20% reduction in SSPM compared to petro-diesel. Not great, and like conservation likely to be more than offset by economic and population growth.
But there's another diesel fuel waiting in the wings: dimethyl ether (DME). It emits no SSPM at all; ZERO. By my math a 100% reduction trounces a 20% one. Imagine if all our big rigs switched to that, revving their engines with no smoke at all! Not to mention buses, trains, ships, construction equipment, generators, etc.
The rest of the story?
Bad news first: it's got half the mileage of petro-diesel and is not "backward compatible" (needs engines and fuel tanks made for it only and which cannot use petro-diesel). But, make the fuel tanks twice as big and the mileage issue is solved.
Good news: like biodiesel, it would help free us from oil and would divert a huge revenue stream away from OPEC and terrorists. It can be made from a biomass-derived feedstock (about which more below) and thus can be, like biodiesel, renewable.
Perhaps most interestingly, DME fits very neatly into a post petroleum economy based on alcohol.
It's not only a diesel fuel but also can be the base for polypropylene and polyethylene; the two bases for the vast majority of plastics. Thus we no longer need petroleum for our plastics!
Also, DME is made by reacting methanol to itself, and methanol would also be a key part of the shift away from gasoline to clean burning alcohol. Methanol can (today, no further research necessary) be made from plentiful and cheap coal, natural gas, or ANY biomass WITHOUT exception, including crop residues, weeds, "black liquor" from paper mills (otherwise an environmental problem), even trash and sewage.
It all fits - renewable biomass becomes methanol; some of which is used in light duty automobiles instead of gasoline and some of which is used to make DME. Some of the DME is used to replace petroleum in making plastic and some is used in heavy duty vehicles instead of petro-diesel.
(Ethanol would be in the light duty picture too and some methanol especially at first would come from coal or NG).
Now THAT's the effective way to get off petro diesel and oil in general and all but eliminate vehicular SSPM!
Reply
Randall Ferguson 4:10PM (3/30/2009)
I don't think you have the whole picture while it would be good to move away from Diesel, trucks that are built today are much cleaner then trucks built just a few years ago. As far as particulate matter and Nitrous Oxide go when the EPA 2010 standards go into affect a Semi Truck will be very clean. Already today one truck built in 1990 creates as much pollution as 60 trucks built today. When the 2010 standard goes into affect it will be something more like 120 trucks. That is pretty clean if you ask me, although not perfect by any means. but neither is any other fuel perfect.
Carney 4:44PM (3/30/2009)
Randall, thanks. However, ZERO beats less hands down and DME emits no SSPM at all. Also no NOx and no sulfur.
Why spend fortunes and strain might and main trying to clean up an inherently filthy fuel when we can switch to one that is already clean?
Especially when it is not only affordable but also not (and can never be) under the control of a cartel that sends the price sky high? (And whose members spend their inflated profits on terrorism against us)?
Not to mention being renewable so we will never run out?
DME is a far better fuel and we need to take aggressive bold steps to switch to it ASAP.
GenWaylaid 12:56AM (3/28/2009)
I am seeing a Knight Rider cameo in this truck's future.
Reply