Engineering and research group details benefits and limitations of different types of fuel efficiency testing during TCA’s Annual Convention
Montréal, QC– March 15, 2016 – PIT Group, an engineering and research group for the North American trucking industry, today announced that Yves Provencher, director of the PIT Group, was a featured speaker on the subject of fuel use testing at the recently held Truckload Carriers Association 78th Annual Convention in Las Vegas.
“Use the right tool for the right answer,” Provencher said at the Trucking in the Round session– Equipment Testing: Do You Get Meaningful Results?– during TCA’s Annual Convention. “Suppliers test fuel efficiency to evaluate concepts, identify best prototypes, develop products, for legislative acceptance and to demonstrate value to customers. For carriers, testing is about finding meaningful results for their operations so technology meets their needs for savings, ROI, operational compatibility and driver acceptance.”
Provencher went on to detail the benefits and limitations of different types of fuel efficiency testing, including over-the road, track, lab and computer simulations. Over-the road testing, for example, can be a good match with an actual operation but can also take time. Track testing can closely mimic operations in a controlled environment but can be costly. Lab and computer simulation testing provide performance indicators in highly controlled environments but results are only as good as the model and the testing facility.
Last fall, the PIT Group released a technical report comparing data on fuel consumption from engine Electronic Control Modules (ECM) with test track evaluations. The report details ECM data precision and accuracy between engine manufacturers, and among engine models from a single manufacturer. The study compares engine ECM data with actual test track fuel consumption on 14 different vehicles with engines from four manufacturers.
At the 2015 ATA Management Conference & Exhibition PIT Group announced the opening of a U.S. office and is adding the U.S. as the location for road testing of its popular technology certification process known as Energotest. Using stringent SAE/TMC protocols, PIT Group will hold Energotest events in Canada and the U.S. each year.
PIT Group works in cooperation with the U.S. SmartWay Transport Partnership, Natural Resources Canada, and Environment Canada, which has selected PIT as the benchmark facility for testing green transportation technologies. PIT Group is affiliated with the American Trucking Associations, the Technology & Maintenance Council, and the Truckload Carriers Association
About PIT Group
Based in Montréal, Québec, Performance Innovation Transport (PIT) is a division of FPInnovations. Formed in 2008, PIT is an unbiased, neutral testing organization to help manufacturers evaluate and refine prototypes and fleet managers select the best technologies to reduce costs and environmental impact. PIT works in cooperation with the U.S. SmartWay Transport Partnership, Natural Resources Canada, and Environment Canada who has selected PIT as the benchmark facility for testing green transportation technologies. PIT evaluates and implements technologies that promote efficient energy use in the commercial transportation, municipal and transit industries. For more information, visit www.thepitgroup.com.