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Every drop of fuel counts

24 September 2008 | Tags: Driver training, Environment, Fuel consumption, fuel economy, IAA 2008 | Posted in: Buses, IAA, Trucks

Drivers and fuel account for more than half of costs for a typical truck operator. Scania puts every conceivable effort into optimising fuel economy and uptime. This has a huge impact on the customer’s business and capacity to earn money.

Scania’s aim is to develop vehicles that lead the market in terms of total operating cost and trouble-free ownership. This is based on a business model that takes the customer’s cost and earning potential into account.

Scania vehicles are designed to perform as much useful work as possible on the roads and to spend as little time as possible in the workshop. They are also renowned for their fuel economy, a reputation that has been earned during more than a century in the commercial vehicle business. In addition, they are designed to appeal to drivers in terms of performance, response and ergonomics, factors that help operators recruit and keep good drivers. This concern for the customer’s business has given Scania vehicles outstanding residual value in the market – another factor that contributes strongly to the customer’s bottom line.

Here are some realistic steps to optimise fuel performance that are available to most operators. The figures cannot be added, but they give an indication of the effect of individual actions.

Driver training saves around 10%

Fuel savings of 10% on average are possible as a result of professional driver training. Active monitoring of driver performance and regular training are needed to maintain this level.

4 km/h saves up to 3%

A simple measure like lowering the normal highway cruising speed by 4 km/h will save up to 3% of fuel and a huge pile of euros.

Electronic support saves up to 10%

Automated gearchanging makes driving easier and helps drivers perform consistently, while reducing wear and tear on the vehicle. Scania Opticruise has been found to save up to 10% of fuel for an untrained driver.

Scania Ecocruise, the smart cruising software, can save 3-5% on top of that by using techniques well-known to any driver trained in eco-driving and with negligible time loss in a working day. Not accelerating when climbing a hill until the crest levels out and using momentum at the bottom of slopes are two of the secrets.

Scania has also developed acceleration control, a system that promotes smooth driving and boosts passenger comfort in city buses. It also reduces wear and tear on brakes and powertrain and typically saves up to 6% of fuel. Will also save fuel for some city distribution applications.

Vehicle optimisation

• Continuous monitoring of vehicle and driver performance makes it possible to take action with minimum delay.
• Regular maintenance takes on a crucial role to make sure everything stays in optimum shape – faults can be detected before they have a chance to cause much harm.
• Get the gearing right for the application. At 40 tonnes with today’s high-torque engines, going for economy gearing, i.e. cruising below 1200 r/min instead of 1350 r/min, will save up to 3% of fuel without any severe effects on driveability.
• Keeping down the unladen weight will automatically save fuel. Specifying low-weight options could reduce weight by 500 kg and save up to 1.5% in hilly terrain.
• Checking axle alignment pays off. Adjusting a 1° misalignment may save up to 3% of fuel.

Optimising air drag saves 5-6%

Fitting air deflectors is the first obvious step to improve air drag on a tractor unit. This alone saves some 10%. But further refinements are possible:

• Adjusting the roof air deflector from 10 cm too high or low will save up to 3% of fuel.
• Fitting Scania’s rubber extensions on the side air deflectors and sideskirts will save up to 1.5%.
• Avoiding auxiliary lights, air horns and other embellishments on the roof will save up to 1.5%.

And then all sorts of improvements are possible on the semitrailer, of course. A difference of 5% in fuel consumption between semitrailers is not uncommon.

Tyre pressures 1-2% per bar

One bar too little in the tyres may cost 1-2% of fuel. Keeping up the tyre pressure at all times will secure consistent rolling resistance, minimum tyre wear and maximum road safety. An easy way is to specify tyre pressure monitoring (TPM), a system that allows pressures to be read from the cab and that alerts the driver if the pressure drops in any of the tyres. In addition, around 5% of fuel can be saved by specifying tyres with low rolling resistance.

How much fuel do you want to save?

So saving fuel – and reducing the environmental impact – is an important part of the game. It all boils down to these crucial factors:

• The driver can provide the biggest short-term fuel savings.
• Vehicle optimisation is vital in the long term.
• Follow-up and monitoring are essential to secure consistent fuel performance.

For a typical 40-tonne European combination running 200,000 km annually, the fuel savings can be translated into litres and euros ():

Fuel saving	Saving in litres	Saving in euro 1)
1%	600 litres	approx. 600 euro
3%	1,800 litres	approx. 1,800 euro
10%	6,000 litres	approx. 6,000 euro
etc.

^{1) For convenience, the diesel price in this comparison is set at 1 euro per litre}

Scania salesmen are trained to help customers find the right solutions in any of these areas and more. Sometimes it takes some convincing to break old habits and go for new and better solutions.

For further information, please contact

Per-Erik Nordström, Product Affairs, mobile tel. +46 70 5535577, email per-erik.nordstrom[at]scania.com

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