7 Concept Trucks Of The Future
The high cost of fuel and stricter EPA standards have the trucking industry clambering to design a truck that is functional, economical and meets the driver’s needs. The push for more aerodynamic and lower emissions truck designs has never been greater. What do you think of these truck designs?
BulletTruck 
AirFlow is hoping the BulletTruck will shape the future of trucking.
AirFlow is working to design the world’s most functional, aerodynamic truck. This summer, engineers drive the prototype from Connecticut to California.
“We loaded in Connecticut and our first stop was in Tracy, California. We ran into 35 mph 3/4 headwinds all the way through Wyoming and 40 mph crosswinds traveling through Utah,” the site states.
In spite of the winds, the truck averaged an impressive 13.4 mpg!
Peterbilt Sentinal
The Peterbilt Sentinel truck concept is the new American dream long base truck. This project aims to deliver an extravagant and elegant truck with a more luxury touch based from simple structures and shapes. It pleases all types of truckers with its luxury chromed lines, massive classic style for the front grill and modular cab. It could soon be real.
Man S
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.
Volvo BeeVan
The Volvo BeeVan was designed to put the driver front and center and provide a full view for the driver. The truck’s doors slide open and closed and hidden steps slide out to greet the driver when the door is opened.
Inside the cab, insulating materials are used to shield the driver from the outside environment. The cab includes sleeper berths, a dinette table, personal storage and more.
ECS
With airplanes, ships, trains and motor vehicles, today’s world of transportation technology offers many options but each of them will have to improve efficiency in order to reduce pollution and help save the environment. In particular, trucks are becoming more of a focus with ecologists and in response to this, ECS has developed a lightweight truck frame concept.
The main objective of the ECS concept of a monocoque truck frame is to significantly reduce the weight, increase load capacity, and improve road performance, all due to higher stiffness and stability. Weight reduction amounts to approximately 30 percent, ensuring a reduction of resources used in all processes, from vehicle manufacturing to scrapping, just one element in our many efforts towards obtaining a better CO2 balance and an improved ecological footprint.
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Chameleon
The Chameleon concept truck was designed by Haishan Deng. The truck features a cenipede-like, segmented body that allows the truck to adjust to fit any container size. The body of the trailer is constructed out of a soft tarp-like material that allows the truck to absorb energy during an impact. The truck’s material also cuts down on the truck’s weight, making it more fuel efficient.
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Freightliner Cascadia Evolution
The Cascadia Evolution features a Detroit DD15 engine that provides some of the most advanced aerodynamic and fuel efficient enhancements in the industry.
According to the press release, the engine delivers a 7% improvement in fuel economy over the EPA 2010-compliant Cascadia, equipped with a first generation aerodynamic package and up to 5 percent compared to a current model year 2013 Cascadia equipped with the latest aerodynamic upgrades.
“With the Cascadia Evolution, we achieved substantial fuel savings, which benefits our customers and strategically aligns with our global initiative to reduce fuel consumption through product innovation, said Wilfried Achenbach, senior vice president of engineering for Daimler Trucks North America. We continue to reach significant milestones well ahead of the competition,” Freightliner said in a press release.
Source
Freightliner Trucks