The Mercedes-Benz Aero Trailer: prototype of the truck of the future

All measures aimed at reducing fuel consumption and emissions have focused on the light or small-load vehicle segment, although the most industrialised sector of heavy transport, trucks, still has no similar long-term solution.

Mercedes-Benz has attempted a solution to the issue by presenting the Aero Trailer, a concept truck that manages to reduce diesel consumption by 5% (not a small figure: 2,000 litres of diesel per year), thanks to an improvement in the aerodynamics of the cargo body and the tractor unit of around 15%.

The modifications to the Aero Trailer’s cargo body involve eliminating the air turbulence underneath, with the addition of a fairing that covers the trailer’s wheels, a rear spoiler (which can be folded to make loading and unloading manoeuvres easier) and a rear diffuser on the trailer itself. The gap between the cargo body and the tractor unit is much smaller, eliminating another source of turbulence. The tractor unit (a Mercedes-Benz Actros) has also been treated to improve its aerodynamics by means of side air vents.

This design exercise is not feasible for now, because the total length of the truck exceeds the maximum length allowed under current legislation. But it is a step forward in the most neglected sector of this type of solution: trucks.

Source | Mercedes-Benz