Part of the EDI’s Heavy Duty Vehicle (HDV) programme, the trial saw a heavy-duty CAT 725 articulated truck fitted with a range of technologies, including a continuously variable transmission, a hydraulic energy storage system (KERs), a high efficiency engine air system and optimised cooling systems.
“We believe that the reduction of carbon emissions in this sector is critical for the UK to reach its climate goal targets,” says Chris Thorne, EDI’s chief technology officer for the HDV programme.
The technology demonstration vehicle, he adds, will have “wide applicability” for other land-based HDVs.
The off-highway demonstration vehicle project is the first phase of outputs from the ETI’s HDV programme which is exploring how the UK’s HDV sector can successfully decarbonise.
The ETI is a public-private partnership between the UK government and companies such as BP, Caterpillar, EDF, Rolls-Royce and Shell. Its aim is to accelerate the development of low-carbon technologies, by acting as a conduit between academia, industry and the government.