Detroit Diesel Corp. wants the industry to know that driver behavior is the one factor that can truly keep fuel economy losses to a minimum.
“We said all along that we expected our '02 engines powered by EGR technology might experience 3% -5% worse fuel economy,” Tom Diefenbaker, director of electronic products for Detroit Diesel Corp., told FLEET OWNER. “But we've found that the fuel loss has been less than 3% on average.”
Diefenbaker stressed, however, that the real key to keeping fuel economy losses down rests mainly with how the driver handles the truck. All the technology improvements in the world won't offset the impact of poor driving practices on fuel economy with '02 engines, he explained.
“The two main issues with fuel economy are idle time and how you drive the truck,” said Diefenbaker. “Those are management issues, not engine design issues. “It all comes down to the drivers.”
