Study of Technological Improvements to Optimize Truck Configurations for Fuel Economy

PDFTech ReportDOT-TSC-OST-75-46AnalysisAutomotive engineeringAxlesCostsDiesel enginesDragEnergyFuel consumptionImprovementsTiresTrailersTransmissionsTruck tractorsTrucksVehicle performanceWeightUnited StatesUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Office of the SecretaryHurter, Donald A.Lee, W. DavidArthur D. Little, Inc.John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, (U.S.)AGR-FREIGHT-Motor CarriersAGR-IMPACTS-IMPACTSAGR-IMPACTS-EnvironmentNTL-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTNTL-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT-Environment ImpactsVolpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference CenterThe truck types that accounted for most of the fuel consumed were identified and modeled by computer analysis. Baseline fuel consumption was calculated for the major truck types over specific duty cycles. Design improvements in the truck were then modeled, and the effect on fuel economy was estimated. Total life cycle costs for the incorporation of improvements were developed for single improvements and combinations of improvements