Diesel Truck of the Future: Man Concept S

America needs truck drivers, probably now more than ever before. Having said that, trucks consume lots of fuel.

Of the approximately 140 billion gallons of fuel used in The United States annually, Tractor trailers account for 45 billion, so any improvement in fuel economy in the segment could have a huge impact on overall consumption as well as lowering the operating cost of the vehicles. It’s been tried before by other companies, but in our opinion, engineers might understand how to appeal to environmentalists, but they usually fail to connect with truck drivers.

German truck manufacturer MAN has teamed up with trailer builder Krone to build a futuristic, streamlined semi that could improve the fuel economy and range of long haulers by 25 percent.

The Concept S and Aero Liner combo feature an integrated design featuring a smooth and rounded face, a rooftop spoiler closing the gap between tractor and trailer, and an aerodynamic hunchback roof not unlike that of the Toyota Prius.

Further wind cheating moves include a tapering rear end, skirts over the wheels, slim video camera mounts replacing the huge side view mirrors typically seen on big rigs, and fuel tanks tucked inside the slick bodywork of the tractor.

In the design study MAN Concept S and Krone AeroLiner, truck and trailer form an exactly fitting, streamlined unit. The vehicle has the load volume of a conventional truck while at the same time achieving the extremely low drag coefficient of a passenger car. This enables savings in fuel consumption and thus CO2 of up to 25 percent.

Find out more about the future of trucking at CDL Life.