That’s not just in terms of better fuel economy, though the OEM touted that its new truck should achieve a 5% improvement in fuel efficiency compared to its current models (with 3% coming from powertrain improvements and 2% due to better aerodynamics).
One of the bigger advances stems from the OEM’s “Scania Maintenance” program, which I’ve noted in this space before; a program that bases truck maintenance on data, not mileage, and purportedly can extend engine oil drain intervals out to 150,000 kilometers under the right circumstances – that’s 93,000 miles for fleets on this side of the pond.
Those kinds of predictive maintenance abilities are only possible due to the rise of the “connected truck,” which is something Scania views as “unavoidable” in the European Union of 2016.
Indeed, the OEM said it now has over 200,000 connected vehicles on the road, with 95% of all its trucks delivered in Europe now “connected” vehicles.
“Our assessment is that within a few years, quality, user-friendliness and the actual benefit of the services that connectivity enables will mark the great dividing line in the industry between premium manufacturers and all the rest," noted Mattias Lundholm, head of connected services at Scania, during the OEM’s press event.
“Offering a cleverly designed range of connected services and added value increases a hauler’s competitive edge and contributes to more profit," he explained.
Certainly, Scania thinks this new truck will do that and more for European motor carriers, as well as others in selected markets around the world. We’ll see if those capabilities come to life as promised.