Tuesday 4th October 2011

Mr Big Stuff: Go Green With Big Trucks

The bigger our trucks, the greener we are, says Volvo

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A big, old truck...

As the number of people who enjoyed our recent article on the massive Caterpillar 797F dumper truck proved, your average PHer has a soft spot for big machines.

So if we told you that Volvo reckons the answer to meeting tough climate requirements in the transport sector is larger, more powerful trucks, you'd probably be quite happy. After all, if the rallying cry of environmentalists were to become 'big trucks!' well, you could probably call most of us paid-up members of Friends of the Earth.

So how does Volvo reach the apparently counter-intuitive conclusion that a Clarkson-esque call for 'more power!' is an environmentally sound solution? Simple, really: with larger and more powerful trucks, more freight can be carried by fewer vehicles, which in turn reduces fuel consumption and the climate impact in relation to the transport work being undertaken (says Volvo).

...a big, new truck...

It's even a concept backed by actual academics: "In order to succeed, a number of different measures will be needed such as better logistics, more efficient engines, more fuel-efficient driving techniques and new fuels. But one of the solutions may also be larger and more powerful trucks," says Anders Ahlbäck, project manager in the Area of Advance for Transport at Chalmers University of Technology.

And growing power units have coincided with dramatic increases in fuel efficiency. Back in the 1970s, for example, 350hp was considered a chunky output for a heavy hauler, while today Volvo is building trucks with 750hp. At the same time fuel consumption has dropped by an average of about 40 per cent, while emissions of nitrogen oxides and particles have been cut by more than 90 per cent.

...and another big, new truck

"Longer and more powerful trucks are, of course, not the only solution to the transport sector's climate problems, but they are one of many answers," says Hayder Wokil, product manager at Volvo Trucks. "Here at Volvo Trucks we see it as our mission to pursue development and to make truck transport's environmental footprint as small as possible. Trends thus far show that a smaller climate impact and more efficient transport really do go hand in hand."

It's really all very sensible stuff, but all we can hear is our inner five-year-old kid shouting 'big trucks, big trucks, big trucks!'

[louiebaby]

Is the infrastructure in place to handle heavier trucks?

It works in the Australian Outback, because there aren't that many motorway overpasses or tight junctions.

There are also some pretty noticeable "tramlines" in a lot of sections of the UK motorway network, so an heavier trucks would need more axles to spread the weight effectively.

Big trucks are cool, but if they are going to become commonplace, all the angles need to be considered...

[louiebaby]

Riggers said:

Damn you and your sensible, considered viewpoint!

I did say they were cool!

Also, if you're going to go for a big, green trucks: