Called the Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience (WAVE), the new truck is a concept model for providing Walmart insights into how it can save money in its shipping operations, which often span thousands of miles.
With an aerodynamic frame that’s 20 percent more efficient than current trucks, the WAVE cab features sliding doors and a driver’s console that sits in the middle of the cabin. Because of the placement of the driver’s seat the WAVE’s leading edge has been dramatically sculpted to narrow is profile and decrease its drag coefficient.
Driven by what Walmart calls a “prototype advanced turbine-powered, range-extending series hybrid powertrain,” the WAVE can operate on diesel, natural gas and bio-diesel. Beyond those sources of fuel the WAVE concept has also been developed in such a way that it can even run on “other fuels still to be developed.”
Although the WAVE’s aero and mechanical innovations are a marvel, it’s the vehicle’s trailer that really steals the show. Made from 16m (53 foot) long carbon fiber panels, each trailer shears off 1,814kg (4,000 lbs) of weight by leveraging the lightweight material.
While the WAVE won’t see the road anytime in the near future, innovations derived from its design will go into Walmart’s new fleet of tractor-trailers set to roll off the production line and onto roadways sometime in the next year. According to Walmart estimates, its new vehicles could save up to $40M in transportation costs.
Image Courtesy of Walmart