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trailer world issue Two 2010

10      Issue Two 2010 Future I and the high-strength materials are too sensitive to torsion loads for them to be used in standard vehicles in the foreseeable future. But components made of carbon fibre could help to increase the payload. Recuperating braking energy from the three-axle chas- sis will play a central role in the future of trailers too, us- ing the resulting electricity to cool the cargo compart- ment. Cooperation with innovative system partners such as BPW and compat- ible electronic networking of the entire truck-and- trailer combination is thus becoming increasingly im- portant for manufacturers of both motor vehicles and trailers. Networking and inter- modal systems “We are facing a quantum leap in technology”, says Product Management Director Bern- hard Rossenbach. For him, networking goes above and beyond the individual truck: intermodal systems must be compatible with other modes of transport. The global development in using containers as freight units forms a stark contrast to time-consuming individual loading on pallets. Future standardisation for the most flexible, faster handling of transport units does not mean that the container has to keep its extremely disadvantageous aerodynamic cuboid shape. BPW expert Rossenbach is quite sure: “In 20 years, containers will no longer look like the containers we know today!” His vision goes along the lines of modular vehicles like trains on the road, travelling along special motorway lanes coupled at intervals of just one metre by electronic drawbars, forming super road trains. Here aerodynamic design would only be relevant to the “leader” at the front of the train and to the last trailer. In between, the body would consist of cuboid driver cabs and transport units forming an almost streamlined train unit. The Swedish truck man- ufacturer Volvo has posted its corresponding vision on YouTube on the internet for all to see under the keyword “Volvo Vision 2020”. On a small scale, the long truck concept known as the Euro- Combi comprises the ideal- ised form of freight trans- port for today: reduced use of resources per transported tonne and a decrease in the number of vehicles help to enhance transport efficien- cy. In the best case, the en- ergy required to transport one tonne of freight could be reduced by up to 50% compared to today’s values. Sober visions A look into the future of transport technology clearly shows that goods will continue to roll on wheels along our roads in future. Both current and future technology will clearly master some of the challenges of the future. Now it’s up to the legislative process to open up discussions about new vehicle dimensions and configurations. After all, visions of Utopia going way beyond previous conceptions cannot be expected from the industry. (owi) »Networking that goes beyond the actual truck.« Bernhard Rossenbach, BPW Graphics:Hoffmann,Photo:Fünf6

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