Mack Trucks says operators could save money by changing to the new driveline used in its MP10 engine
August 8, 2011
With Mack Trucks about to open the order book for the long awaited MP10 16-litre engine, General Manager Dean Bestwick says operators could save money by changing to the new driveline.
As well as the MP10 – shorthand for Mack Power 1000 cubic inches – the 2012 Titan and Super-Liner heavy duty trucks will also gain access to the equally long-awaited mDRIVE automated manual transmission.
Bestwick says the MP 10 will make Mack the only manufacturer of conventional trucks able to offer an SCR emission solution across its entire product range.
“The reduction of the diesel rebate in two years’ time will have a significant impact on the bottom line of many operators, especially in long-distance line-haul where the kilometres covered, and the fuel used, per year are huge,” he says.
While the future of the proposed carbon tax remains uncertain, thanks to strong for and against campaigns running throughout mainstream Australia, Bestwick says basic science shows that 2.7kg of carbon dioxide are released from every litre of diesel consumed by truck engines.
“AdBlue is not subject to the carbon tax, and as the nationwide fleet of SCR-equipped trucks grows, the per-litre price of AdBlue will most likely drop,” he says.
“It’s $1.20 a litre now, so if it falls 10 percent which seems likely, you’ll save 12c a litre, nearly twice the increase in the per-litre cost of diesel. In short, by using AdBlue you’ll use less diesel and so you’ll pay less carbon tax.”
Bestwick says owners will have access to a customer product trainer to teach drivers how to make the most of the equipment for maximum fuel savings.