Coca-Cola Enterprises has begun tests of a 21-tonne truck is fitted with an aerodynamic Bevan21 fast access curtainslider body.
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It is one of two Iveco Stralis six-wheelers powered by 310hp EEV engines to have joined the company’s fleet in recent weeks – the other is fitted with the standard, flat-roofed version of the same body.
Darren O’Donnell, logistics asset manager for Coca-Cola Enterprises, said: “We will now be running the two trucks head-to-head over the next six to nine months, to see whether the more streamlined unit can deliver any worthwhile benefits in terms of fuel savings.”
The Bevan21 is designed to reduce wind resistance while maintaining cubic load volumes. Features include a curved roof and a specially moulded air deflector and cab collar. Test show potential fuel savings of some 15 per cent.
O’Donnell said: “Any aerodynamic system needs a long, steady run to deliver optimum results in terms of mpg efficiency, whereas these two new trucks are on multi-drop work in and around London.
“Nevertheless, at Coca-Cola we’re committed to doing everything we possibly can to limit our fuel consumption and, by extension, our carbon footprint – that’s why we’re always among the first to adopt the latest technology, such as the clean, ‘green’ EEV engines which we now specify on all our vehicles. Against this backdrop, any fuel savings that can be delivered by the Bevan21 body are certainly going to be of interest.”
