The automotive industry managed to start getting it right with aerodynamics decades ago, but, even though vehicles have been constantly evolving meanwhile, nobody has done anything for trailers. Just take a look at your average semi and you’ll realize that it still carries around nothing more than a huge box on wheels.
And no, leaving air to randomly flow across the body of a vehicle is definitely not the most efficient way of moving around, as Mercedes demonstrated with its latest development, the aero trailer.
We are talking about a streamlined designed trailer that comes with a front airdam, lateral panels, as well as a rear diffuser and a special design for the rear end. According to Mercedes, all these elements manage to cut drag by around 18 percent and thus reduce fuel consumption by almost 5 percent.
The company estimated that a truck that travels 150,000 km (93,205 miles) per year could save 2,000 liters of diesel (528 gallons) and release 5 less tons of CO2 into the environment.
However, in order to offer the same loading area and come with the special rear end design, the trailer has to be extended a half-meter past the maximum length allowed by the current law. Mercedes is pretty confident that there is a solution for this, as certain trailers, such as those that use forklifts have been allowed to bend the rules over the years.
We are talking about a streamlined designed trailer that comes with a front airdam, lateral panels, as well as a rear diffuser and a special design for the rear end. According to Mercedes, all these elements manage to cut drag by around 18 percent and thus reduce fuel consumption by almost 5 percent.
The company estimated that a truck that travels 150,000 km (93,205 miles) per year could save 2,000 liters of diesel (528 gallons) and release 5 less tons of CO2 into the environment.
However, in order to offer the same loading area and come with the special rear end design, the trailer has to be extended a half-meter past the maximum length allowed by the current law. Mercedes is pretty confident that there is a solution for this, as certain trailers, such as those that use forklifts have been allowed to bend the rules over the years.