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(Image from CCS, by Jose Casas)
Detroit,MICH,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -May 25, 2011: -- Class 8 highway tractors will need to be ‘re-packaged’ in order to reduce weight, boost efficiency and increase productivity to meet 2014 fuel economy standards, according to truck designers... “We’re looking at what we call ‘big picture’ ideas concerning vehicle weight, size, and shape,” Mark West, professor of transportation design at the Detroit, MI-based College for Creative Studies (CCS). A private, fully accredited college, CCS enrolls 1,400 students pursuing Master of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees... West said CCS has spent the last three years carving out a mini department within its transportation design wing to focus exclusively on long-haul trucks. With financial sponsorship from Meritor Inc. and Navistar, 15 of CCS’s students have focused on ways to re-shape current truck designs in order to meet ambitious federal government mandates that slash heavy-truck fuel consumption and emissions by some 10% to 20%... A big challenge, he added, is to create designs that attract younger drivers into the industry yet, at the same, time keep older drivers happy. On top of that, students must also incorporate the vehicle’s life expectancy, hybrid powertrains, integrated solar panels, and highway safety features, as well as the driver comfort and serviceability issues...
