Tractor-Trailers Going Green
The average 18-wheeler gets less that 7 miles per gallon but that is changing rapidly. The roughly 1.7 million 18-wheelers in the United States use over 26 billion gallons of diesel fuel annually. However, Tesla plans to announce a fully electric big diesel engine next month and Cummins introduced a similar motor last month. The aerodynamics of 18-wheelers is being improved rapidly to improve fuel efficiency. Truck transmission manufacturers Eaton Corp. and Cummins have joined forces to design lighter-weight more powerful yet more efficient truck engines and transmissions. Among new fuel-saving aspects of new tractor-trailers are electrified cabs, automatic transmissions, sleeker designs, 360-degree skirts, diesel/electric combo engines, and more. Environmental sustainability concerns among consumers, governments, producers, and users are spurring 18-wheelers to turn right on green.
Source: Based on Erica Phillips, “Tractor-Trailers Take Green Turn,” Wall Street Journal, September 23-24, 2017, p. B4.
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