Walmart has developed and has begin testing the Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience (WAVE), which is a high-tech, tractor/trailer built for green efficiency. In its current concept form, it is a public relations component of Walmart’s environmental side. Still, if this tractor/trailer research project yields production potential, it could save a company like Walmart (which runs over six-thousand trucks) billions in the long run.
The tractor component runs on a turbine-powered battery-electric hybrid system. The turbine’s combustion system can run on natural gas, diesel and bio-diesel. The cab is unique and futuristic as it puts the driver in the center of the cockpit (think McLaren F1) with state-of-the-art controls ergonomically designed. A sleeper cabin is located behind the driver’s cockpit and appears to be two levels.
The tractor unit of the WAVE concept smacks of Luigi Colani, who is one of the most influential automotive designers of our age. He maliciously crafted aerodynamically efficient trucks (both tractor and trailers) for decades. This WAVE truck, while not his design, definitely resembles some of his three dimensional philosophy.
The real story is in the use of carbon-fiber to build a majority of the trailer. According to Walmart, the WAVE trailer saves 4,000 lbs in weight. The side panels are 53-feet long and represent the largest single-piece carbon-fiber component produced. Granted, the cost-effectiveness of a trailer this expensive to build would be poor at best. With that said, a massive order and modern production techniques could make mass production feasible in the near future.
Will Walmart build their own WAVE fleet? Probably not. This is a study in feasibility, and a public relations ploy. Still, the research gains this generates and public interest could lead to some very intriguing future prospects.
Remember: President Barack Obama has directed the EPA to draft a new set of fuel economy requirements to begin in 2019. These rules pertain to medium and heavy-duty trucks like the ones in Walmart’s fleet. It’s entirely possible that we could see a setup like the WAVE debuting in a few years.
We’ll keep an eye on the WAVE system to see what happens next.
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