In pursuit for sustainable, cleaner and more energy efficient transportation solutions, Shell Lubricants together with AirFlow Truck Company has joined forces to develop a collaborative innovation launching a next-generation hyper fuel-efficient truck dubbed as the Starship.
The Starship is an innovative vehicle that is designed to increased overall efficiency and fuel economy in the transport sector. It features a custom, aerodynamic design and aims to demonstrate improvements in fuel economy for class 8 trucks while lowering carbon emissions.
The Starship Project truck is powered by a 6-cylinder engine with 400 horsepower and 1850-foot pounds of torque at 2,508 newton meters. The standard engine has been calibrated with the transmission to run at very low speeds and down to 800 rpm.
In the future, the truck will feature a hybrid electric axle system with an electric motor and axle replacing the rear tractor non-driven axle. This will provide a power boost while climbing grades, where most of the fuel is consumed, the axle transfers the energy out of the truck and feeds it into the battery for acceleration and braking.
To sustain its power, the truck has a 5,000-watt solar trailer roof and stores power in a 48-volt battery bank, which can be utilize as lights, wipers, blower motors, gauges, air conditioning and heating, microwaves, and other electrical components.
Robert Mainwaring, Technology Manager for Innovation of Shell Lubricants, said, “We seek projects such as the Starship initiative to keep Shell at the leading edge of technology development and energy efficiency. Working with AirFlow Truck Company and other suppliers gives Shell Lubricants the opportunity to align with innovative companies to explore what is really possible in fuel efficiency.”
“Transport accounts for more than one quarter of the world’s total energy use and one-fifth of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, 72-percent of which is attributable to road transportation of which trucks make up a significant part. Increasing efficiency and fuel economy in the commercial transport sector could therefore make considerable progress to help reduce emissions,” adds Mainwaring.
With new fuel economy regulations on the horizon across the globe and the need for continuing advances in fuel economy, Shell Lubricants recognizes that a holistic approach to making advances is important. However, obtaining significant fuel economy improvements in heavy duty trucks is a challenging process given the size and construction of a tractor and trailer and it is an area which has not had much focus in recent decades.
Mainwaring explained that “Shell firmly believes that collaborative, co-engineering, relationships are essential to the effective reduction in emissions and enhancements in efficiency and have developed such co-engineering relationships with several world leading OEMs.”
“The relationship with the AirFlow Truck Company and other suppliers to build the Starship Project is part of a collaborative process led by Shell that encourages co-engineering, and has resulted in a truck that will be used to challenge how trucking efficiency is defined. In recent years, we developed a concept car which explored the role that light weighting, streamlining and lubrication played in personal transport. Starship is the Shell Concept Car’s equivalent for freight transport,” he concluded.
To provide the best lubricants in the engine and drivetrain for the Starship Project, Shell uses the next generation, low viscosity, fully synthetic heavy duty engine oil. The use of fully synthetic base oils, plus advanced additive technology provides protection against wear, deposits and oil breakdown. The lower viscosity delivers superior fuel economy compared to a conventional SAE 15W-40. The lubrication technology shares the same viscosity as Shell Rimula Ultra E+ and is being tested by OEMs worldwide.
Meanwhile, Chris Guerrero, Global Brand Manager of Heavy Duty Lubricants, shared that as the leader in heavy duty lubricants we have a responsibility to the industry beyond simply our products. “That’s why I’m so proud of this collaboration with AirFlow Trucking, which provides a unique opportunity to explore ways to improve fuel economy in transport application. Moving forward, we need creative solutions to the world’s energy challenge such as Starship that will benefit our customers, drivers and the wider world for years to come.”
Last May, the Starship Project completed a cross-country run that begin in California and end in Florida carrying a real load of cargo with 80,000 lbs of gross vehicle weight.