Walmart showcased its futuristic truck today at the Mid-America Trucking
Show (MATS) in Louisville, Ky. The Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience
is a tractor-trailer combination that features leading edge
aerodynamics, an advanced turbine-powered range extending series hybrid
powertrain, electrified auxiliary components, and sophisticated control
systems all in one package, developed in support of the company’s
industry-leading sustainability program.
In 2005, Walmart, one of the nation’s largest private fleet operators,
announced its goal to double fleet efficiency by 2015. Walmart trucks
log millions of miles every year, so when it comes to sustainability and
fleet efficiency, the goal is simple: deliver more merchandise while
driving fewer miles on the most efficient equipment. As of last year,
the company had achieved an 84 percent improvement in fleet efficiency
over its 2005 baseline.
“Walmart is continually looking for innovative ways to increase our
efficiencies and reduce our fleet’s emissions,” said Tracy Rosser,
senior vice president of transportation at Walmart. “The Walmart
Advanced Vehicle Experience is a bold step in transportation
technologies that, although not on the road in its current form, will
serve as a learning platform for the future that will accelerate our
progress toward our goals.”
Innovation is key to improvement, and the project aims to demonstrate a
wide range of cutting edge technologies and designs Walmart is
considering in an effort to improve the overall fuel efficiency of its
fleet and lower the company’s carbon footprint. Although the prototype
currently runs on diesel, its turbine is fuel neutral and can run on
compressed or liquid natural gas, biofuels or other fuels.
The prototype is the result of collaboration between Walmart and many
vendors, including Peterbilt, ROUSH, Great Dane and Capstone Turbine.
Almost every component on this vehicle is cutting edge and showcases
innovations of the future that will drive increased efficiencies.
About the Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience
Tractor: Walmart and Peterbilt have collaborated on aerodynamic,
hybrid, electrification and alternative fuel projects in the past, each
with incremental gains in fuel efficiency and emission reductions. The
Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience tractor combines many of these
projects in a single vehicle.
“Peterbilt’s goals of producing the most fuel-efficient, aerodynamic,
and lightweight trucks in the industry mirror those of Walmart,” said
Landon Sproull, chief engineer at Peterbilt. “Our combined efforts help
build a business case for these technologies in the future, as well as
support one of our best customers.”
Aerodynamics: Designers used extensive computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) analysis to optimize the truck’s styling. The truck’s
shape represents a 20 percent reduction in aerodynamic drag over
Walmart’s current Peterbilt Model 386. By placing the cab over the
engine, the truck’s wheelbase is greatly shortened, resulting in reduced
weight and better maneuverability. Walmart relied on product development
supplier ROUSH to carry out the vehicle’s construction with these
detailed design specifications.
“We work every day with customers from the automotive and aerospace
industries, all of whom have a laser focus on maximizing efficiencies
through improved aerodynamics,” said Tom Topper, ROUSH’s executive
director of prototype services. “This design is revolutionary and truly
world class.”
Range Extending Series Hybrid: Range extending hybrids are a
synergy between electric trucks and series hybrids, and their design
reduces the energy storage size required for trucks to run on batteries
alone. With Walmart Distribution Centers now located closer to
metropolitan areas, transport vehicles have shorter transit times to
their delivery destinations. These shorter trips reduce the vehicles’
average trip speed and create more opportunities to recover energy
through regenerative braking. The generator and energy storage on the
truck are scalable based on the range desired.
Turbine Power: The truck features a microturbine Range Extender
generator developed by Capstone Turbine Corporation. The company also
engineered the truck’s integrated hybrid drivetrain solution. The use of
a hybrid powertrain allows the turbine to remain at optimum operating
revolutions per minute (RPM), while the electric motor/energy storage
handles acceleration and deceleration. A longer-range version of this
powertrain would feature a larger turbine and smaller energy storage
system.
“We developed this microturbine hybrid electric drive system by
assembling the best team of technology leaders in the industry,” said
Steve Gillette, director of business development for Capstone. “We look
forward to the day when these energy-saving features are standard offers
for the market.”
Fuel Neutral Capability: Turbines by their nature are fuel
neutral and produce very low emissions without the need for
aftertreatment. Turbines are also appealing because of their few moving
parts, low maintenance requirements and lighter weight.
Component Electrification: With automobiles moving to electrified
accessories such as power steering and air conditioning, this truck
scales those systems up for use on a larger vehicle. These electrified
components are used only when needed and at peak efficiency.
Charge Mode: When keyed on, the truck automatically detects the
state of charge of the batteries and starts charging them, if needed,
using the turbine engine. Charge mode can be manually selected if an
operator wishes to “top off” the batteries prior to shutting down.
Electric Vehicle Mode: For use in urban areas, the truck will run
on electric power alone until the battery state of charge hits 50
percent. At that time the turbine will automatically start and begin
charging the batteries.
Hybrid Electric Mode: For maximum range, this mode runs the
turbine continuously, only shutting down if the batteries run out.
Trailer: The vehicle’s trailer, manufactured by Great Dane,
offers a host of fuel-saving features. The trailer body is built almost
exclusively with carbon fiber, including one-piece carbon fiber panels
for the roof and sidewalls, saving nearly 4,000 pounds when compared to
traditional designs. The trailer’s convex nose also enhances
aerodynamics while maintaining storage space inside the trailer. Other
special features of the trailer include special low-amperage LED
lighting strips, composite trailer skirts, aerodynamic disc wheel
coverings, a Posi-lift suspension, and a one-piece,
fiberglass-reinforced floor panel with a 16,000 pound forklift rating.
“This road-ready prototype trailer is a bold step in transportation
technologies,” said Adam Hill, vice president of product and sales
engineering at Great Dane. “We look forward to further collaboration
with Walmart to create more fuel-efficient vehicles of this type in the
future.”
A number of vendor partners were involved in the design and creation of
the Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience. Key partners – in addition
to Peterbilt Motors Company, ROUSH, Capstone Turbine Corporation and
Great Dane – include Qualnetics Corporation, Allison Transmission,
Transpower, New Eagle, Fiber-Tech Industries, Grote Industries, Inc.,
Laydon Composites Ltd., Isringhauser Seats, Graykon, LLC, Dometic Corp,
RealWheels Corp, Corvus Energy, Parker Hannifin, Accuride, Milliken
Chemical, SAF-HOLLAND USA, Inc. and Whiting.
“The creation of this showcase vehicle was only made possible through
strong collaboration with our partners, and we thank each of them for
their valuable contribution,” said Rosser. “It’s important that we
continue to work collectively on future innovations and challenge
ourselves to look boldly at fleet efficiency in new and different ways.”
For more information and to access related photos and videos, please
visit http://corporate.walmart.com/truck.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save
money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online,
and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 245 million
customers and members visit our 11,302 stores under 71 banners in 27
countries and ecommerce websites in 10 countries. With fiscal year 2014
sales of over $473 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million
associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in
sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.
Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com
on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart
and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.
Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com
and http://www.samsclub.com.
About Peterbilt Motors Company
Based in Denton, Texas, Peterbilt Motors Company combines a global
reputation for industry leading design, innovative engineering and fuel
efficiency solutions, with superior quality to engineer a truck that
stands as the “Class” of the industry. Through its 280-plus North
American dealer locations, Peterbilt also provides a comprehensive array
of aftermarket support programs to complement its full lineup of
on-highway, vocational and medium duty products, including alternative
fuel vehicles. Customers enjoy industry leading service and support,
including preventive maintenance plans, expedited QuickCare services,
automated parts inventory replenishment and 24/7 complimentary Customer
Assistance through 1-800-4-Peterbilt. For more information about
Peterbilt, visit www.peterbilt.com.
Peterbilt is a PACCAR Company, traded publicly on the NASDAQ as PCAR.
About ROUSH
ROUSH is a full-service product development supplier headquartered in
Livonia, Michigan, with over 3,700 employees in facilities located
throughout North America. Widely recognized for providing engineering,
testing, product development, and manufacturing services to the
transportation industry, ROUSH also provides significant support to the
consumer product, theme park, aerospace and defense industries. Service
offerings include design, body, chassis, powertrain, electrical, and NVH
engineering, tooling, machining, rapid prototyping, advanced composites,
fabrication, and assembly. ROUSH’s diverse customer base includes
clients such as Ford Motor Company, Chrysler, General Motors, Bell
Helicopter, United Launch Alliance, Disney, Universal Studios, General
Dynamics and Textron. To learn more, visit www.roush.com.
About Capstone Turbine Corporation
Capstone Turbine Corporation (Nasdaq: CPST) is the world's leading
producer of low-emission microturbine systems and was the first to
market commercially viable microturbine energy products. Capstone
Turbine has shipped approximately 7,000 Capstone Microturbine systems to
customers worldwide. These award-winning systems have logged millions of
documented runtime operating hours. Capstone Turbine is a member of
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Combined Heat and Power
Partnership, which is committed to improving the efficiency of the
nation's energy infrastructure and reducing emissions of pollutants and
greenhouse gases. A UL-Certified ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004
certified company, Capstone is headquartered in the Los Angeles area
with sales and/or service centers in the New York Metro Area, United
Kingdom, Mexico City, Shanghai and Singapore. For more information about
Capstone, visit http://www.capstoneturbine.com.
About Great Dane
Great Dane, a manufacturer of dry van, refrigerated and platform
trailers, has long been regarded as the industry leader in technology,
innovation and quality. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Ill.,
and has additional corporate offices in Savannah, Ga., with
manufacturing plants and a parts distribution center strategically
located throughout the United States. Great Dane’s network of
company-owned branches and full-line independent dealers and parts-only
independent dealers offer distribution points for both trailers and
aftermarket parts across North and South America. Great Dane can be
accessed online at www.greatdanetrailers.com.
Copyright Business Wire 2014