REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XStream Trucking announced today that its gap closing product, TruckWings, has been deployed for 45 million miles of highway driving fuel savings of $1,040,000 and reducing carbon emissions by over 7 million pounds.
"Fleets are accelerating their adoption of Tractor Gap Reducers," says Mike Roeth, Executive Director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE). "In our 2019 Fleet Survey, 8.2% of the responding fleets were adopting Tractor Gap Reducers versus 0.6% last year, making this the fastest growing area for fuel economy in our report."
Truck manufacturers have long offered static side extenders to help air jump the tractor-trailer gap. However, these static panels do not fully close the gap, are prone to damage and cannot respond to real world variations in weather, cross winds, truck speeds and gap sizes.
TruckWings automatically deploy to fully enclose the tractor-trailer gap, reducing a fleet’s fuel bill with no additional driver actions or trailer modifications. Fully enclosing the gap allows trucks to operate optimally in a wide variety of conditions, and fleets have seen their on-highway fuel usage decrease by 4-6%.
“Fuel and driver pay are the two largest costs for truck fleets,” said Daniel Burrows, CEO of XStream Trucking. “Tested thoroughly, even in extreme road conditions such as high-cross winds and winter storms, TruckWings is the validated solution to the tractor-trailer gap issue. Furthermore, our telematics enable fleets to track TruckWings performance in real-time, allowing drivers and fleet managers to have a clear picture of their investment.”
The Financial Impact
The 45 million miles deployed has saved XStream Trucking customers $1,040,000 in fuel costs. [Ref 1]
For a truck achieving 7mpg and 120,000 miles per year, TruckWings saves approximately 860 gallons of fuel annually, which equates to a fuel savings of $2,800 a year.
The Environmental Impact
A gallon of diesel releases 22 pounds of carbon as well as other pollutants. Therefore, TruckWings has collectively saved 7.1 million pounds of carbon.
On a per truck basis, each TruckWings deployed on a single truck is the equivalent of taking the emissions of 2.1 passenger cars off the road.
“We see TruckWings as an aide to drive the aerodynamics conversation forward in the industry,” said Burrows. “Aerodynamics represents two thirds of a truck’s fuel burn and huge steps forward have been made to improve other areas as well. We’re addressing the next lowest hanging fruit for improving fuel economy, and we intend to make a big impact across the industry - both in meaningful cost savings and carbon footprint reduction.”
About XStream Trucking
Established in 2014, XStream Trucking is a design and engineering company for connected hardware for the long-haul trucking industry. Its flagship technology, TruckWings™, automatically closes the tractor-trailer gap, reducing a fleet’s fuel bill without requiring additional actions by the driver or any trailer modifications. Founded out of Stanford University, XStream Trucking has won awards in several Department of Energy (DOE) competitions including National CleanTech Awards and CalTech’s FLoW competition and Heavy Duty Trucking Top 20 Products of 2019. TruckWings are currently deployed within carrier fleets that average more than one million miles per week. For more information visit: www.XStreamTrucking.com
[1] Assumptions: 7mpg, a fuel price of $3.25/gal, and a fuel savings of 5%
Media Contacts
For XStream Trucking
Finn Partners
Katie Chrapla
615-610-0321
XStreamtrucking@finnpartners.com