LAS CRUCES, N.M. — MVT Solutions on Tuesday, April 19, announced the test results for Aerovolution’s Booster-Tail for Class 8 tractor-trailers.
The Booster-Tail, located at the rear of the trailer, uses natural air pressure to self-deploy at highway speeds. No additional deployment hardware or driver intervention is needed. Testing in February 2022 demonstrated that using the technology resulted in a fuel savings of 5.04 gallons per 1,000 miles, according to MVT.
“We wanted to get fuel economy data for the unique geometry of our device,” said Lee Telnack, president of Aerovolution. “I was happy with the test results because they confirmed what we knew, and they echoed results we got from CFD studies.”
The tests were conducted on an International LT sleeper tractor with a Cummins X15 15-liter engine and a 53-foot Hyundai dry van loaded to 72,000 pounds and traveling 65 mph. A test was run with the Booster-Tail in place; then the aerodynamic device was removed and the test was run again.
“We are quite impressed with the Booster-tail,” said Daryl Bear, lead engineer and COO for MVT. “It is a much simpler design that overcomes many of the issues experienced with former boat tails including driver involvement and complexity, yet it still captures the fuel savings.”
“The test results speak for themselves and confirm the device works operationally and fleets will get a good ROI from it,” said Telnack.
According to Bear, the fuel economy improvement of 5.04 gallons per 1,000 miles (4.18%) represents a “substantial fuel savings.”
The full report can be downloaded at https://m-v-t-s.com/certified-technology/aerodynamics/aerovolution-booster-tail/.
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