Class 8 tractor-trailers consume 12-13% of total US petroleum usage and average 5-8 mpg. A 1% improvement in fuel economy would save 285 million gallons of diesel per year, equivalent to 3 million tons of CO2 emissions reduced. Aerodynamic designs have potential to significantly reduce fuel consumption and emissions; for example, one designer achieved a 50% reduction through aerodynamics alone. Drag reduction devices for trucks are a $12 billion industry, with some paying for themselves in fuel savings within one year.

1. 2
Class 8 tractor-trailers are responsible for 12-13%
of the total US consumption of petroleum
 Class 8 tractor-trailers consume
roughly 12-13% of the total United
States petroleum usage (21 million
barrels/day). They average
between 5 and 8 mpg.
 A 1% improvement in fuel
economy of tractor-trailers
translates into 285 million gallons
of diesel fuel saved per year. This
is roughly equivalent to 3 million
tons of CO2.

2. 3
Aerodynamics: Lower Truck Fuel Use & Emissions
 Swiss-German designer Luigi Colani: 2007 managed to reduce fuel consumption by
50 percent by aerodynamics alone
 Colani's Siemens concept truck cost $1 million to construct
 Compare to mass-produced trucks: new 2011 International 9900 semi sells for
around $150,000

3. 4
Drag Reduction Device Market
 The 2010 Medium-Heavy Truck
Aftermarket (what you spend after you
buy the truck) reached $12 billion
dollars
 Commercial measure of success:
device pays for itself in one year with
fuel savings
 Device price ranges between $100 and
$10,000
 Early adopters complain of functionality
interference and maintenance concerns
 Device market may allow easier entry
for startups
Sideskirts 15 % cut in fuel consumption: Delft Univ
Rounded corners pneumatic controls blowing air from slots: Georgia Tech

4. 5
LLNL Green Aerodynamic Patent Portfolio
 Active research program with multi-patent
position including patents on:
 underbody fairings,
 wheel fairings,
 trailers skirts,
 boat-tail plates,
 gap plates, and
 vortex fans
 State-of-the-Art computational fluid
dynamics modeling on supercomputers
 Industrial partners and DOE consortium
to validate acceptance metrics
 Wind tunnel testing

5. 6
Spring 2010 NASA Wind Tunnel Testing
 120'X80' wind tunnel at NASA Ames
Research Center. It has the largest wind
tunnel section in the world.
 Top-performing devices from five
companies were down-selected for
track testing
 Collaborators: Navistar and NASA
 Contributing companies Freight Wing,
Laydon, ATDynamics, Windyne, and
Aerofficient

6. 7
Sweet Spots and Team Players
Airflow
Skin friction
body
higher pressure lower pressure
Top-performing devices from five companies down-selected for track testing
~ 5 gap devices ~ 2 base devices
~ 10 underbody devices

7. 8
Ready to Partner
 LLNL has both computational
and experimental expertise
 A patent portfolio of a dozen
great aerodynamic ideas
 Ready to explore ways to get
these ideas on the road

8. 9
For more information:
Leah Rogers
rogers11@llnl.gov
925-422-3538