Podcast: How Daimler engineers boost the Cascadia's fuel efficiency
The nation's most popular Class 8 truck brand has improved its flagship vehicle's fuel efficiency roughly 35% since 2007. How did the Cascadia's engineers achieve it?
With today’s diesel prices, the best way to reduce fuel costs is to run new equipment. The Freightliner Cascadia’s fuel efficiency has improved an impressive 35% since 2007. The constant improvement of the nation's most popular Class 8 brand is thanks to Daimler Truck North America's (DTNA's) engineers and their incremental tweaks to the tractor’s aerodynamics and powertrain.
In this episode, DTNA’s Greg Treinen, VP of on-highway market development, and Steve Collins, director of field sales engineering, describe the many small ways that DTNA made efficiency gains in the Cascadia—from bumper air ducts to combustion timing—with particular focus on the latest generation.
Catch this episode of The Fleet Lead podcast here or search for The Fleet Lead on your favorite podcast app.
Timestamps:
0:32: How much has the Cascadia’s efficiency improved?
1:18: Aerodynamic and other improvements
4:48: Efficiency improvements in the Gen 6 Detroit engine.
8:07: The rise of integrated powertrain components.
16:01: New electrical architecture and computational power.
Editor Jeremy Wolfe joined the FleetOwner team in February 2024. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with majors in English and Philosophy. He previously served as Editor for Endeavor Business Media's Water Group publications.
