After several months demonstrating and selling the T Optifuel, Renault Trucks, confident of its offering in terms of fuel consumption savings, asked the independent organisation TÜV Rheinland to measure and certify the fuel savings it delivers. The TÜV Rheinland therefore carried out a series of tests designed to measure the Renault Trucks T Optifuel’s performance with regard to reducing fuel consumption. This resulted in a measured and certified reduction in fuel consumption of 10.9% for the Optifuel version of the Renault Trucks T.
"This figure, measured and certified by an independent body, demonstrates the benefits our customers enjoy when they choose a Renault Trucks T Optifuel," explains Bruno Blin, the President of Renault Trucks. He adds, "The T model’s intrinsic qualities, combined with aerodynamic equipment and intelligent technology, significantly reduces costs associated with fuel which therefore contribute to their financial profitability."
The T Optifuel is a comprehensive offering consisting of a vehicle optimized to reduce fuel consumption, combined with Optifuel Training instruction in economic driving provided by Renault Trucks instructors. The vehicle used for the comparison was a standard T model, without any options and before the drivers had been given any economic driving instruction.
The TÜV Rheinland selected the two experienced drivers, making sure they represented typical long-distance truck drivers. Renault Trucks supplied the vehicles and the semitrailers, also providing the instruction in economic driving. The two vehicles were Renault Trucks T 4x2 tractors equipped with Euro 6 DTI 11 L 430 hp engines having the same drive axle ratio (2.64). One was a “standard” vehicle, while the other featured the Optifuel configurations. The day before the test, the TÜV Rheinland carried out an in-depth check of the two rigs, in particular tire wear and pressure, as well as their weight and technical characteristics.
The Optifuel version of the Renault Trucks T offers, as standard, all aerodynamic equipment (adjustable roof and side deflectors, door extensions and side fairings) to maximize the vehicle’s penetration through the air. It is also equipped with a set of intelligent technologies
incorporated into the Fuel eco-pack (inhibited power mode, eco-cruise control with the Optiroll controlled freewheeling mode, a disengageable air compressor, a variable flow steering pump and automatic engine cutout). The vehicle is configured with a default maximum speed of 85 kph.
The TÜV Rheinland carried out its measurements on a 200 km route, typical of a long distance inter-regional haulage run. Both vehicles carried a 32 tonne load. On the first day, the two drivers drove over the route twice, once in each vehicle and with their semitrailer so as not to influence results. On the next day, they were both given Optifuel Training instruction in economic driving provided by a Renault Trucks expert. On the third day, the two drivers once again drove the vehicles over the same route, this time applying what they had learned during their training.
This very strict test procedure, implemented by the TÜV Rheinland, made it possible to isolate the two vehicles’ intrinsic performance and exclude any impact on consumption from outside factors such as ambient temperature, differences in the two semitrailers’ rolling resistance or the prevailing road traffic.
Following the test, the TÜV Rheinland experts observed and certified that, after the instruction, the Renault Trucks T Optifuel consumed 10.9% less fuel than the standard Renault Trucks T.
This result reasserts the performance delivered by the Optifuel version of the Renault Trucks T in terms of reducing fuel consumption and the importance of the instruction in economic driving. It reasserts Renault Trucks’ commitment to providing its customers with tools that are
constantly being made more efficient to improve their business.
This T range was designed to offer hauliers the perfect balance between fuel savings and life on board. Thanks to the new cab’s aerodynamic form, this range combines the efficiency and lower consumption on which Renault Trucks has founded its reputation.
The Renault Trucks Long Distance range contributes to reducing its owner’s fuel costs. Thanks to its design, with a windscreen angle of 12 degrees which improves the Cx by as much as 12% and its new driveline which improves yield, this range is one of the most fuel-efficient on
the market.
By investing in a T Optifuel, a Renault Trucks customer will have a return on investment from the 17th month of ownership, which is about one third of the average time a haulier keeps possession of a long distance vehicle (60 months on average).
