excellent report, 400 pages, except that the possible fuel reduction measures  

 

 

The tractor-semitrailer combination is by far the most common work-horse on

major European roads.

The mass of the tractor unit is about 7 tons, fuel and driver included.

The mass of the semitrailer is about 8 tons.

The permitted gross combination mass in European cross-border freight is 40 tons.

Hence the maximum goods capacity is 25 tons, “massed out”.

The corresponding goods cube capacity varies, here 90 cubic meters are assumed,

13.6 x 2.5 x 2.65 = 90 (L x W x H)

 

The fuel consumption, assuming flat topography, legal speed, “free flow” traffic

is 3.0 liters per 10 km or better at permitted gross combination mass. For low

density goods and “cubed out” transport 2.7 liters per 10 km is assumed.

 

Diesel fuel at normal temperature and pressure has a density of 0.85 kg/lit.

The energy content when burning is 38.6 MJ/lit or 10.7 kWh/lit.

The carbon dioxide generation is 2.67 kg of CO2 per liter of diesel fuel or

3.1 kg of CO2 per kg of fuel (about 3 for “kg to kg” holds for any fuel of the

C_xH_y type except CH₄ methane, 2.75).

 

From this follows the load specific values.

 

Massed out

Grams of fuel per ton-km of goods:              10 

Grams of CO2 per ton-km of goods:            31

 kWh of fuel energy per ton-km of goods:   0.13

 

Cubed out

Grams of fuel per m3-km of goods:              2.5

Grams of CO2 per m3-km of goods:            7.7

kWh of fuel energy per m3-km of goods:     0.032  

 

Drive safely,

Anders Lundstrom, IFRTT president