Walmart's Drive for Fuel Efficiency Leads to Futuristic Truck Design

Walmart is on a mission to double its trucks’ fuel efficiency to 13 miles per gallon by 2015. That number goes above and beyond new fuel efficiency standards, which is looking to improve fuel efficiency by 9% to 23%. To prove that they are serious about this, Walmart has collaborated with Peterbilt, Great Dane Trainers and Capostone Turbine to create a concept truck known as the “truck of tomorrow” that is known as the Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience (WAVE).

Walmart describes the vehicle as a “prototype advanced turbo-powered, range-extending series hybrid powertrain combined with an electric motor and battery storage system.” The truck can run diesel, natural gas, biodiesel and even has potential to run on fuels that don’t yet exist.

The look of the truck is a little bit jarring with the cab featuring a sliding door, a center-mounted driver’s seat, an all-LCD dash that can be customized as well as a full-sized sleeper. It’s reportedly the first trailer to ever be built completely of carbon fiber and incorporates the first 53-foot-long one-piece carbon fiber panels ever made. That material saves approximately 4,000 lbs. over a conventional trailer. A convex nose boosts both its aerodynamics and cargo capacity.

No, this truck may never make it to the road, but what it does is allow truck manufacturers to test new technologies and new approaches. For now, it’s just a concept, but Walmart is continuously looking for ways to increase fuel efficiency in trucks that could save fleets hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in the long term.

What do you think of this concept?

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