WHILE electric- and hydrogen-powered vehicles will little doubt present a greener future for the transportation business sooner or later, Scania Australia managing director, Manfred Streit, believes extra might be achieved now to enhance the effectivity and cleanliness of present diesel engine know-how.
Chatting with GoAuto in Melbourne not too long ago, Mr Streit mentioned Scania’s current updates to its Tremendous V8-powered vary is proof that enhancements are there to be made.
Considerably up to date on the finish of 2021, the eight-cylinder engine vary achieved generational enhancements in gas consumption of eight per cent for lengthy haulage clients. The Euro 6 compliant vary presents outputs starting from 530 to 770hp – and peak torque of as much as 3700Nm – with two even provided with BioDiesel capabilities.
“Electrification is a part of our future resolution, however we even have to have a look at what now we have now, and tips on how to scale back that footprint in parallel,” Mr Streit instructed GoAuto.
“We can not simply depend on electrification, particularly in Australia. That’s why we developed our new Tremendous powertrain to get CO2 emissions right down to a brand new degree, which now we have obtain with this new product in an inside combustion V8 engine.
“The V8 sounds prefer it must be a excessive gas consumption engine, however it’s not. It really presents higher gas consumption than another V8 we’ve had. It produces extra energy, too, which makes it type of good for heavy haulage operations, or in Australia, for large street trains.”
Whereas not ruling out the advantages electrification and hydrogen energy can carry to the business – and certainly the setting – Mr Streit mentioned it was essential that the applied sciences continued to be developed in unison to supply the perfect and cleanest doable options for all sectors of the street transport business.
He mentioned present improvement of the Scania Tremendous V8 reveals that much more might be achieved by way of effectivity, hinting that the lifetime of diesel-powered vehicles – together with these with eight-cylinder engines – is much from coming to an finish.
“There’s undoubtedly extra potential obtainable, and that’s what is required. It’s a part of our philosophy that we are going to not wait till every little thing is okay, however we’ll proceed to work to make what now we have higher, cleaner, higher for the client, proceed to scale back gas consumption, proceed to scale back CO2 and different emissions,” he mentioned.
“With diesel know-how in the mean time, it’s doable to get one other eight or 10 per cent enchancment, relying on the sphere of operation after all, which is essential for these clients and people markets who can not but use an electrified powertrain.”
When requested how for much longer Scania noticed its V8 engine persevering with to supply such an answer, Mr Streit mentioned the engineering developments he was aware of confirmed it was doable cleaner diesel engines would stay obtainable for a decade or extra.
“The V8 is being developed and optimised even additional, and the know-how that’s obtainable to us to assist scale back gas consumption and emissions is frequently enhancing. This is essential to our clients as a result of the engine fits their wants and gives the effectivity they want as effectively,” he defined.
“The engine is sturdy and extremely sturdy and, in hilly terrain, it may assist a driver to succeed in the vacation spot 20 or half-hour sooner than a few of our rivals, whereas utilizing even much less gas. It additionally has advantages from the viewpoint of constructing the job faster, safer and with much less fatigue.
“For all these causes, I feel if you look forward 10 years or probably greater than a decade from now, we’ll nonetheless have it (the V8 engine). I don’t see anything showing in that timeframe – on the size required – that may be a appropriate substitute.
“We’re additionally teaming that engine with ever-improving gearboxes and axles, so we’re getting much better mileage than comparable massive capability six-cylinder engines that different producers are producing.”
