Every gram less vehicle weight that has to be moved helps to save fuel.
Greener travel. Efficient solutions for commercial vehicles.
Lower costs, emissions and wear: sustainable products and systems offer an array of benefits. They make trucks and buses more economical and reduce their environmental impact.
Long-haul trucks are responsible for the majority of traffic on our roads. Accounting for around 35% of costs, fuel is one of the biggest expenditures for truck operators. To cut fuel costs, Knorr-Bremse is working on high-precision actuators and valves for applications such as exhaust gas recirculation, which will optimize combustion engines and powertrains, as well as developing advanced electrically powered compressors.
The ProFleet Connect intelligent fleet management software continuously analyzes current vehicle data in order to provide the driver with visual information that helps him to adopt a safer and more fuel-efficient driving style. Further fuel and driving time savings are achieved through optimized route planning that is updated online during the trip. Intelligent logistics module integration reduces empty runs, with every mile knocked off the journey time also contributing to lower costs, emissions and wear and tear.
Lower vehicle weight, higher savings
For operators of trucks and buses, doing business and protecting the environment go hand in hand. Anyone looking for ways to reduce the total cost of vehicle ownership usually starts with the fuel costs. Every gram less vehicle weight that has to be moved helps to save fuel. This is why the development engineers at Knorr-Bremse agonize over every tiny component, every gram of material – and it pays off. The ST7 trailer brake, for instance, was the lightest two-piston trailer brake on the market when launched and is ten percent lighter than its predecessor, enabling the trailer payload to be increased and reducing fuel consumption if part-loads are carried. The engineers also succeeded in shaving ten per cent off the weight of the new heavy-duty Synact truck brake while boosting its brake function by ten percent, too.
Products with 100% longer life
Peripheral equipment should only be running when it is really needed. This is why the Knorr-Bremse compressor with clutch switches on primarily when plenty of energy is available, using the engine overrun phases during downhill driving, for example. In combination with the EAC electronic air treatment system it can thus facilitate fuel savings of up to 1,250 liters per year.
Costs can also be cut by optimizing components to increase durability; cutting down on replacements reduces overall costs and saves on resources. The new Clutch Servo Longlife offers a whole 100% longer service life, capable of twice as many actuation cycles as the previously typical figure of two million and causing the likelihood of it needing to be replaced during the lifespan of the truck to plummet.
Cutting carbon emissions by recycling materials
With its EconX portfolio, Knorr-Bremse is pursuing the strategy of reusing a large proportion of existing material. The remanufactured components are subjected to the same extensive quality tests as new parts and are every bit as safe as their new counterparts. At the same time, they stand for carbon dioxide emissions savings of up to 75 percent and are a low-cost alternative for keeping not-so-youthful vehicles operational.
Platooning: convoys of the future
The increasing digitalization of road freight is also contributing to reducing fuel consumption and wear. A case in point is the Knorr-Bremse ProFleet Connect telematics system, which helps the driver achieve a more economical and sparing driving style. Increasingly intelligent driver assist systems also play their part in mitigating environmental impact. The upcoming platooning systems for automated convoy driving will also mean further fuel savings of around 15 percent for the vehicles involved, as driving in the slipstream of the vehicle in front reduces wind resistance. In addition, platooning traffic flows more smoothly, with fewer braking and starting operations that reduce wear as well as fuel consumption. Knorr-Bremse has already successfully completed initial testing of its own platooning system.
Sustainable supply chains based on standard global codes of conduct
Alongside the sustainable solutions where technology and products are concerned, the purchasing departments of the CVS and RVS divisions both endeavor to take ethical, social, and ecological aspects into account when making decisions. Knorr-Bremse proactively supports its customers and partners in strengthening sustainability throughout the supply chain. The company’s new Code of Conduct is designed to enforce the same ecological and social standards throughout the world. But Knorr-Bremse also honors the achievements of its suppliers; in May 2017, for example, Federal-Mogul Bremsbelag GmbH was named Supplier of the Year 2017 in the Sustainability category by the Commercial Vehicle Systems division.