Look at Mercedes-Benz: the German giant went public last month with an all-electric 26-tonner (p25). High-profile electric car-maker Tesla is going further, with autonomous electric buses and trucks. Meanwhile, the LNG (liquefied natural gas) refuelling infrastructure is gaining ground. Even Dearman’s liquid nitrogen engine is faring well in field trials, with retail behemoth Sainsbury’s delighted (p10).
All are driven not only by competition, but also the sheer pace of enabling technology. And by developed countries’ unrelenting focus on emissions. The result? Everything, from engines and transmissions (p14) to turbochargers (p12, p29), ‘smart’ auxiliaries, right down to lubricants (p36), is now subject to significant technical change.
For fleet engineers the obvious challenge is keeping up. No one can afford to miss out on potentially game-changing developments. Equally, however, signing off on evolutionary, but especially radical, equipment demands informed decision making. Particularly if expensive, even embarrassing, operational issues are to be avoided.
So it is opportune that 28 September sees the opening of this year’s national IRTE Conference (p5), at Eastwood Hall, under the banner ‘Driving operational efficiency, profitability and compliance’. Delegates can expect to hear from luminaries such as LowCVP’s technology guru Andy Eastlake, Ricardo’s heavy-duty engine lead Andy Noble, and Carlsberg’s head of fleet Philip Thompson.
There are also sessions on truck technology cost-benefits, achieving sustainable freight, and transport legislation, with senior traffic commissioner Beverley Bell offering counsel. See you there?