Reducing Fuel Consumption * Australia - Slow down to 90 and save, Scania says

Campbellfield,Melbourne,VIC,Australia -ATA Friday Facts -4 March 2011:   -- Trucking operators could reduce their fuel consumption by 6 per cent by setting their speed limiters to 90 km/h rather than 100 km/h, an experiment conducted by Scania this week has shown... The Scania Fuel Duel saw two identical Scania prime movers pull B-double sets from Melbourne to Sydney and back... One vehicle travelled from Melbourne to Sydney at up to 90 km/h; the other travelled at up to 100 km/h. In Sydney, the vehicles had their speed limiters reversed... From Melbourne to Sydney, the difference in actual driving time was 40 minutes. From Sydney to Melbourne, the difference was 53 minutes... The 90 km/h speed limiting resulted in a 6 per cent fuel saving... Scania drew on the results of the test to conclude that an operator with a vehicle travelling the Hume five times per week could save around $10,000 a year per vehicle by running at 90 km/h instead of 100 km/h...