Tomorrow's Technology Today
A Green Solution For The
Transportation Sector
A Green Solution For The Transportation Sector
The Ultimate Tractor
The hype from many truck manufacturers about how aerodynamic their tractors are is easy to identify as in the following from a press release from Freightliner.
“We read our competitors’ claims on aerodynamics and wonder if they were based on comparisons with older models or against models with very different specs. It didn’t appear to be scientifically based,” said Michael Delaney, senior vice president of marketing for Freightliner LLC. “Aerodynamic efficiency isn’t a function of looks – it’s about measured air flow resistance. We were confident the Cascadia would prove to be superior in this area when solid science was applied.”
“Customers don’t want to hear marketing people talk about aerodynamics; they want to hear it from independent sources, which is why we waited to talk about it until valid tests could be performed by outside experts. The results proved what we expected. It’s always great to have the facts independently validated.”
The hard facts are that tractor aerodynamics are relatively insignificant when the tractor is pulling a trailer!
THE KEY TO AERODYNAMIC EFFICIENCY IS THE INTEGRATION OF BOTH TRACTOR AND TRAILER.
“We read our competitors’ claims on aerodynamics and wonder if they were based on comparisons with older models or against models with very different specs. It didn’t appear to be scientifically based,” said Michael Delaney, senior vice president of marketing for Freightliner LLC. “Aerodynamic efficiency isn’t a function of looks – it’s about measured air flow resistance. We were confident the Cascadia would prove to be superior in this area when solid science was applied.”
“Customers don’t want to hear marketing people talk about aerodynamics; they want to hear it from independent sources, which is why we waited to talk about it until valid tests could be performed by outside experts. The results proved what we expected. It’s always great to have the facts independently validated.”
The hard facts are that tractor aerodynamics are relatively insignificant when the tractor is pulling a trailer!
THE KEY TO AERODYNAMIC EFFICIENCY IS THE INTEGRATION OF BOTH TRACTOR AND TRAILER.
PORTLAND, ORE. – Aug. 29, 2007 – The Freightliner® Cascadia™ is officially more aerodynamic than other Class 8 commercial vehicles, according to Auto Research Center, Inc. (ARC), an independent aerodynamics research team based in Indianapolis used by vehicle manufacturers, NASCAR and other racing teams.
ARC researchers compared the Cascadia with four other similarly spec’d Class 8 vehicles – the International ProStar, Kenworth T660, Peterbilt 386 and Volvo 780 – using Freightliner’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel, the only aerodynamic testing facility in the world built specifically for Class 8 vehicles.
ARC researchers compared the Cascadia with four other similarly spec’d Class 8 vehicles – the International ProStar, Kenworth T660, Peterbilt 386 and Volvo 780 – using Freightliner’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel, the only aerodynamic testing facility in the world built specifically for Class 8 vehicles.
