Originally Posted By: Rand
That would last about a month.. then after the deer causes 5000$ in body damage they will throw on a giant brush bumper and get 10mpg
and good luck retrofitting all the trailers with the skirting.
I think it WILL be possible to implement some of the ideas and maybe eek out another 1-2mpg.
13.5 is a pipedream anytime soon.
Actually, more and more trailers are already getting air skirts- I see quite a few on the road.
Its way past time that trucks got some improvement. Sure, the tractors are slicker than they were 30 years ago... but until the trailers get skirts and some sort of smooth blend at the TAIL end (there are also attachments popping up that provide that) efficiency isn't going much higher. Enclosed wheels, too.
Its all about moving the air out of the way and rolling resistance- which is why trains get something like 400 ton-miles per gallon. Nearly zero rolling resistance, and and only the first locomotive and last freight car have the big air drag, all the rest just have "wetted area" drag along the sides for the most part.