Updated: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 09:00:00 GMT | By CJ Hubbard, Ed Soluk Safer and greener: the high-tech trucks of the future - Part Three ! How aerodynamic is the MAN Concept S? With the dolphin as a guide, extensive fluid dynamics work has arrived at a truck shape that is as slippery through the air as the average family car. In raw aerodynamics terms, this has seen the drag levels – the amount of resistance the shape presents to the air – drop from 0.50Cd to 0.30Cd. A major improvement. Flipper would be proud. How Efficient Is The MAN Concept S ? As a result of all this splashing about, the MAN Concept S is 25% more efficient than a conventional truck design, saving fuel and reducing harmful emissions. The longer trailer could also allow more goods to be carried during the same journey, offering further efficiency and environmental gains. At present, however, the EU proposal would maintain current goods volumes, so the new lorries wouldnt take advantage of this. Are there any other futuristic truck designs out there? While the MAN Concept S is perhaps the most radical-looking lorry redesign, Volvo Trucks has also been thinking of the future. The vehicle pictured above is the Volvo Concept Truck 2020. Also known as the Volvo Vision 2020, it too dates from 2010 (which probably tells you how fast the EU works), and although Volvo Trucks is a separate company from Volvo Cars, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that it’s aiming to improve safety, too. How does the Volvo Trucks Vision 2020 improve safety? If you get hit by a current truck, the flat front means there’s really not very much between you and the hard metal stuff – including the engine. Which means getting hit by a truck tends to hurt. A lot. The Volvo Vision 2020 aims to soften the blow, quite literally. It has a protruding frontal section to help absorb impact, just like the crumple zones in a modern car. Would the Volvo Trucks Vision 2020 require an EU law change? Unlike the MAN Concept S, the Volvo Vision 2020 might not need a rule change in order to be allowed on the roads – even though it would be longer than current regulations allow. Because the extra portion of lorry served up on the front is strictly defined as a safety feature, Volvo is hoping the EU will make an exception.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 02:11:43 +0000
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