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Any system that's only 11% efficient can be improved.
According to an article in a recent issue of New Scientist, only 11% of the energy used by the current generation of tractor-trailer trucks goes into moving the cargo and the vehicle. And even 11% might be an overstatement, as the purpose of the exercise is really just to move the cargo, which accounts for 6.5% of energy used.
The intent of the piece is really to talk about a range of technologies, each of which has the potential to help increase the efficiency of over-the-road big rigs. Included among these are diesel-electric hybrids, diesel-steam engine hybrids, improved aerodynamics, direct-drive electric motors, even generating power every time a wheel goes over a bump or into a pothole! Put them all together and, at least in theory, you should be able to save about 78% of the diesel currently being used. That leaves 22%, which is still twice as much as should (again, in theory) be necessary. But a system which is 50% efficient is a lot better than one at 11%.
The high-level message I got is that an 80-85% reduction is energy utilization really isn't beyond the range of possibility, even for machines like trucks which have typically been cast as the most difficult cases to address. Trucks need to be able to go pretty much from anywhere to anywhere, so a portable power source is critical, they need to be able to pull large loads so a potent power source is critical, and they need to be able to go long distances so a high-density power source (lots of energy per unit weight) is critical. All electric commuter vehicles may be a possibility in the near future, but all-electric long-distance big rigs is another matter, entirely.
Still, if we could cut trucking emissions by even 70%, and commuting emissions by almost 100% (electric cars running on wind-generated power, for example), we could make a big dent in the climate change problem.
A significant step, and just one more reminder that the way things are is in no way a limit on the way things could be.
