Navistar says the International SuperTruck II improves freight efficiency by 170% in this generation of SuperTruck through a combination of hybridization and aerodynamics.
[RELATED: Volvo, Daimler nab SuperTruck 3 DOE funding]
"With co-funding by the DOE, Navistar engineers experimented with prospective technologies not currently available in the Class 8 truck market to accelerate the impact of sustainable mobility," says Russ Zukouski, chief engineer of global innovation and the principal investigator for the SuperTruck programs. "The team concentrated its design on high-voltage electrification, utilizing hybrid technology on a path toward full electrification that has the potential to be commercialized in fully electric vehicles and improve customers' total cost of ownership and business operations."
SuperTruck II gets 16 miles per gallon and proves new approaches to weight reduction, including improvements to rolling resistance technologies, aerodynamic improvements and new innovations in powertrain technology.
"Navistar is the only OEM to build a trailer to provide the most accurate testing results possible," says Dean Opperman, chief engineer, advanced truck. "It includes a 100% composite box designed for minimum aerodynamic drag with lightweight, integrated cross members, controlled underbody flow with composite aero treatments, next-generation solar panels with connectivity options and ride height control."
[RELATED: Aerodynamic equipment: The path of least resistance]
SuperTruck II has a combustion engine with high-voltage accessories and technologies developed in partnership with Bosch. This engine improves combustion, friction, gas exchange and airflow. A redesigned cylinder head with dual overhead cam engine and enhanced fuel system results in a 2% fuel economy improvement over the first SuperTruck, as well as a 55% brake thermal efficiency improvement.
