25 fleets in Italy looking for potential savings

The results of a comprehensive trial in Italy have revealed that substantial fuel savings are possible for all commercial vehicle fleets, but most especially those fitted with Continental truck tyres.

The test vehicles used a range of tyres from several manufacturers and covered about one million kilometers (621,327 miles) during the project. On average vehicles fitted with Continental tyres produced fuel savings of around ten percent, compared to those on other tyres who achieved six percent.

Continental aimed to show that fuel consumption can be reduced in a number of ways. In addition to supplying all the fleets with information from tyre experts and training on efficient driving practices, a practical test was also performed adhering to strict guidelines. At the start of the test, the vehicles mileage was recorded along with the current fuel consumption figures, vehicle and tyre data. Of the 40 vehicles that took part, 30 came from fleets that operate domestically while the remainder ran on international routes. At the end of the four-month observation period, the mileages, consumption figures and tyre data were recorded again.

In total, the forty vehicles involved in the trial covered almost one million kilometers (621,327 miles). The exact total was 986,155 kilometers, an average of 26,653 km (16,561 miles) per truck. According to internal figures, the fuel consumption at the start of the test was 35.1 litres/100 km, while during the test, figures of 34.7l/100 km were measured.

Thirty percent of the vehicles showed a clear reduction in consumption once they applied certain techniques. Their saving was 1.97l/100km regardless of the tyre brand they were using. However vehicles fitted with Continental tyres throughout the test saved even more - 3.52l/100km.

“Before the trial, the participating fleet operators were quite skeptical about the plan,” explains Daniel Gainza, head of Continental truck tyres in Italy. “Everyone who took part was convinced when a third of the participants were able to show notable saving figures. We are talking about over €2,500 (£2,295) per vehicle here thanks to the low-rolling resistance of Continental tyres.”

With sales exceeding €24 billion in 2008, the Continental Corporation is one of the top automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for the powertrain and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, the corporation contributes towards enhanced driving safety and protection of the global climate. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. The corporation employs nearly 140,000 at approximately 190 locations in 35 countries.