FUEL SAVINGS * Belgium - Study: Fuel consumption down by 5 to 15% at a maximum speed of 80 km / h instead of 90.

- 10 km / h = - 10% fuel

Brussels,Belgium -Truck & Business -17 March 2011: -- VITO, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research, has scientifically studied the effect of reducing the speed of trucks on fuel consumption: Fuel consumption down by 5 to 15% at a maximum speed of 80 km / h instead of 90...  Lorries for transport over long distances have a driveline set optimally for a rate of 80 to 85 km / h. It is the result of a complex set of factors: the aerodynamic resistance, load, road profile, the sensitivity of the specific consumption of motor speed changes, etc...   Recently a proposal has again been introduced to limit speed of heavy goods vehicles on motorways to 80 km / h...    The proposal faces many protests. In this regard, Febetra would stress the following. Measuring 80 km / h for trucks do not take into account progress already made by the transport sector at the ecological level. Moreover, it takes no account of traffic parameters and traffic safety. In addition, reducing the speed limit means that a truck will travel fewer miles in a day. This will require greater use of vehicles...  French carriers are overwhelmingly in favor of the 80 km / h. They are asking to reduce as quickly as possible the speed of lorries on motorways 80 km / h and to establish a general prohibition applicable to the passing trucks. Why? Because the federation has calculated that it could save up to 12 million tonnes of CO2 per year through this and other such environmentally friendly vehicles, the combined freight, biofuels and more economical driving...

* Germany - According to Roland Berger, a reduction in CO2 emissions of 30% is possible in 2020

Berlin,Germany -Truck & Business (Belgium), by Claude Yvens -21 Dec 2010: -- The German consultancy Roland Berger surveyed fifty business leaders and experts from around the truck to assess the likelihood of reducing CO2 emissions in road transport by 2020. The findings of the study 'Truck Powertrain 2020 - Mastering the CO2 challenge' are clear: a reduction of 30% is possible ... provided to combine several types of efforts and to better combine them.  According to Roland Berger, a limitation of 30% of CO2 emissions from road transport by 2020 would be needed to limit global warming to 2 °, or the current target of more than 100 countries around the world...  In 2007, the transportation sector (all modes) was responsible for 23% of global CO2 emissions...  The experts interviewed confirmed firstly that the diesel will remain the primary fuel in 2020. The main alternative is hybrid propulsion, with a massive impact on the segment of buses and trucks to public service and a lesser impact, but real, on the vehicles of inter-city traffic over short distances... For long-haul vehicles, it will rely primarily on improving existing engines (62% of future progress), low resistance tires and aerodynamics (38% of future progress between them). It will be recalled here that the prototypes have shown that a longer maximum lengths, used to improve the air penetration of a semi-tractor, causes a significant reduction in fuel consumption and hence emissions CO2...  By 2020, the main areas that need work the engineers are the exhaust (which contains its own 29% of the potential for fuel savings), cooling systems (23%) and reduction of friction (4 % for the friction inside the engine and 3% for transmission)...