Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) responded to our queries about their medium- and heavy-duty engine plans with information provided by executives from its Freightliner Trucks and Detroit Diesel Corp. operations, however, no mention was made at this time of DTNA's 2010 plans for its Western Star truck line.
Melissa Clausen, director of product marketing for Freightliner Trucks, told Fleet Owner that “Freightliner has been able to develop and validate its 2010 vehicles well ahead of the experience of previous emissions timelines.”
“Our development has been ongoing since early in this decade, when our partners at Mercedes Benz in Europe identified SCR as the best solution to meet global emissions targets while improving fuel economy and performance,” she adds.
Clausen says that Freightliner, working with its key engine supplier Detroit Diesel, is “surpassing all its previous emissions testing milestones with both engines in the test cells and trucks on the road.” She notes that Freightliner will be launching its first customer demonstration units next month. “These BlueTec-equipped trucks will be hauling freight and generating revenue for our customers while also being tested in real world conditions.”
Freightliner will also use engines from Cummins “for 2010 and beyond,” according to Clausen, and has “just recently begun the work of integrating its SCR technology with our vehicles. We look forward to setting a timeline for these products in the near future.”
Addressing fuel economy, Clausen says Freightliner expects 2010 Detroit Diesel BlueTec engines to provide a 3% fuel economy improvement, but the OEM will also “continue to develop and improve technologies and applications that bring fuel savings to our customers,” including further enhancements to the “aerodynamic and operational efficiencies” of its trucks.
