Driving Force

From The Engineer:

Renault Trucks is developing a vehicle for night and city deliveries that can change its noise and pollution emissions according to its workload and location. The truck uses a complete telematics system that connects it to a base office. Features such as navigation and positioning make deliveries easier and more efficient for the driver. The truck is also fitted with technologies to improve the ergonomics of the vehicle. The system aims to help the truck's movement through urban environments by detecting when it enters low-noise or emission zones (areas designated by local authorities where only low-emission vehicles are permitted to enter) then adjusting its operation accordingly. 'The truck is fitted with different operating conditions that can be modified when the driver pushes a button,' said Bernard Favre, head of advanced engineering at Renault Trucks. 'For example, the driver can turn the truck from a commercial operating condition to load-reduced or emission-reduced operating condition. 'We can control noise emissions by reducing the load on the driveline,' claimed Favre. 'In addition, we have fitted the driveline with springs on the encapsulation, and modified the exhaust system and a number of other systems so that overall noise emission is reduced compared to commercial trucks.

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