New collaborative project to reduce fuel consumption in distribution vehicles
A group of seven industry partners, led by Renault Trucks, has launched the EDIT (Efficient Distribution Truck) project, which aims to reduce the fuel consumption of distribution vehicles by 13% compared with a current production vehicle.
The prototype to be used will be a Renault Trucks Range D Wide Euro-6 with a refrigerated body. The aerodynamics of the vehicle and refrigerated body will be thoroughly revised and fitted with a low voltage macro-hybrid system to recover braking energy via a reversible electric system. The recovered electrical energy will be used to power auxiliary equipment and can also provide occasional support to the internal combustion engine.
In addition, a new driving aid system will be developed in conjunction with the vehicle modifications. It will be connected to traffic lights and will be able to detect when they will change, using this information to define a speed profile minimising fuel consumption. It will also allow drivers to choose the most economic itinerary for their truck. Finally, the prototype will be testing new tyres with reduced rolling resistance.
The seven partners working on this collaborative project are Renault Trucks, Valeo, Lamberet, Michelin, BeNomad, INSA de Lyon (LamCoS) and IFSTTAR (LICIT). The project has been awarded the LUTB competitive cluster’s label and is receiving financial support from the FUI Regions fund.
The project’s aim is to design and develop a demonstration refrigerated transport vehicle consuming 13% less fuel than the reference Euro-6 distribution truck. Each partner is contributing their expertise to present technologies that can be made commercially available by 2020.
After the success of Optifuel Lab 2, the laboratory vehicle which brought together technological innovations designed to reduce long-distance trucks’ fuel consumption, Renault Trucks is now extending its research to distribution vehicles.
The prototype vehicle is scheduled to be delivered in 2018.