A demonstration truck built by Cummins Inc. and Peterbilt Motors Co. achieved a 10.7 mile-per-gallon fuel economy reading last month under real-world driving conditions, the companies announced.
The project is part of the U.S. Department of Energy's SuperTruck program, in which multiple truckmakers are developing extremely efficient vehicles. Compared with a normal 2009 Peterbilt 579, the Cummins/Peterbilt prototype is 75% more fuel efficient, emits 43% fewer greenhouse gases and represents an 86% increase in total freight efficiency, the companies said in a Feb. 18 statement.
President Obama showcased the truck Feb. 18 in Maryland as he announced an effort by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop a new round of truck fuel-efficiency and greenhouse-gas standards.
