Rather than moving to a radical truck/trailer design that would not be compatible with existing standards, this is a nice simple approach that can modify the millions of trailers on the road today.
Trucking companies will show a much faster savings on fuel usage. It is better for the environment to see a rapid and broad drop in fuel burned by millions of trucks verses a slow migration of a few thousand fuel efficient trucks and trailers per year.
This can buy time to allow that slow upgrade/replacement process to happen naturally as equipment wears out. Verses a costly government forced migration.
Northeast trucking company Braun’s Express has become the first trucking company in the region to invest in technology from ATDynamics that will retrofit its high-mileage fleet to become more fuel-efficient.
ATDynamics of South San Francisco, Calif., has developed tail farings, known as TrailerTails, that are made out of thermoplastic composites. The farings extend the rear of a semi-trailer by four feet, streamlining the airflow and reducing the fuel consumption of tractor-trailers by 6.6 percent, according to testing. The technology is compatible with major refrigerated and dry van semi-trailers designs, and they fold down automatically when not in use, so that they don’t get in the way of access to the trailer back doors.
Braun’s Express has installed 10 TrailerTails on what it describes as its “most utilized” trailers, those that travel an average of 50,000 miles annually up and down the East Coast. The company said it is expecting about 10 percent improved fuel efficiency.
Noted ATDynamics CEO and founder Andrew Smith:
“Over 5,000 TrailerTails have been ordered by dozens of trucking companies over the last 12 months as the industry realizes the fuel-savings potential. But the adoption of TrailerTails by our first New England-based feel customer is an important milestone. It provides that TrailerTails were designed to operate easily even in the harshest New England winters.”
The video below offers a demonstration of how the farings work:
