WASHINGTON, March 9, 2016 - In 2009, the Energy Department (DOE) and industry partners launched an initiative, SuperTruck I, to improve the efficiency of Class 8 vehicles. Class 8 vehicles, or heavy-duty tractor trailers, haul about 80 percent of the goods that fill our stores and, although these “big rigs” make up only 4 percent of the vehicles on the road today, they consume 20 percent of the fuel, says DOE.
To take this research to the next level, DOE has announced $80 million in new funding for SuperTruck II projects. The objective is to research, develop and demonstrate a long or regional-haul Class 8 truck that is 100 percent more efficient compared to a manufacturer’s best-in-class 2009 truck and help make fuel-saving technologies more affordable for truck operators.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Reuben Sarkar also announced more than $12 million for three new cost-shared projects focused on the research, development and demonstration of plug-in electric powertrain technologies for medium and heavy-duty vehicles.
“Improving the efficiency of commercial trucks is critical to reducing our petroleum consumption, strengthening our clean energy economy and further reducing our contributions to climate change,” says Sarkar. “This new funding will not only accelerate innovation but also foster rapid market adoption of new energy efficient vehicle technologies.”
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