The £392,240 grant (part of the government’s Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial) contributes to a total project spend of £560,342 with fuel-saving analytics specialist Dynamon.
It will fund the development of a web-based application for performing virtual aerodynamic simulations of HGVs.
Dubbed ACT (Aerodynamic Configurator for Transport), it will assess vehicle geometries for aerodynamic efficiency under a range of conditions and drive cycles aimed at reducing fuel costs and emissions.
According to Dr Rob Lewis, managing director of TotalSim, ACT will then inform fleet managers of the most efficient aerodynamic pack configurations for their trucks and trailers.
“Using CFD, we can simulate the aerodynamic efficiency of any vehicle, usually to help make racing cars go faster,” explains Lewis.
“But in this instance we are interested in increasing fuel efficiency to reduce HGV emissions,” he continues.
“Our ACT solution will be jargon-free and work in a web browser, so that operators of all technical abilities can try out configurations of HGVs quickly and easily in order to deploy the most efficient cabs and trailers.”
Combined with telematic data capture, he says ACT will also help inform route- and weather-specific planning decisions to maximise haulage company profits on a per-vehicle basis.
“By partnering with TotalSim, we are able to create a service that will make it significantly easier and cheaper for fleets to invest in aerodynamics,” comments Dr Angus Webb, founder and CEO of Dynamon.
“TotalSim will identify the best aerodynamics shapes and Dynamon will use fleet telematics data to identify the potential fuel saving and ROI,” he explains.
“We believe this will both improve investment in aerodynamics by fleets and stimulate innovation from aerodynamics suppliers.”