International LoneStar receives SmartWay certification

PUBLIC UNVEILING: Tom Baughman talks about the LoneStar at a Navistar news conference during the 2008 Mid-America Trucking Show at Louisville. (The Trucker/Kevin Jones)

The Trucker News Services

6/25/2008

WARRENVILLE, Ill. — The new International LoneStar has been certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a SmartWay truck.

The Navistar Truck group introduced the LoneStar in February as the first fuel-efficient “advanced classic” big-rig truck, has been certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a SmartWay truck.

LoneStar joins the International ProStar, which Navistar calls the most fuel efficient Class 8 truck on the market, with this environmental designation. LoneStar is the first classic-styled Class 8 truck to receive this honor.

The SmartWay program is a voluntary partnership between freight industry sectors and the EPA that  establishes recognition and incentives for fuel efficiency improvements and reductions to greenhouse gas emissions.

Eligibility for the SmartWay truck certification is based on a comprehensive set of fuel-saving, low-emission equipment specifications for new Class 8 long-haul tractors.

By 2012, this initiative aims to reduce as much as 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions per year.

At the same time, the initiative targets fuel savings of up to 150 million barrels of oil annually. 

“As today’s diesel prices reach record highs, developing more fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible trucks is necessary to keep operating costs down for customers and to curtail each truck’s carbon footprint,” Dee Kapur, president of the Navistar Truck Group, said. “Navistar is committed to green transportation with advanced engineering and purposeful design. We look forward to working with the EPA to continue to improve the environmental performance of our commercial trucks, diesel engines and buses.”

In recent wind tunnel testing, International LoneStar proved to be as aerodynamic as competitors’ most stream-lined trucks, and LoneStar is far more aerodynamic than other “classic” trucks, Kapur said, adding that superior aerodynamics plays a major role in improving an on-highway truck’s fuel efficiency.

Kapur said the LoneStar was designed with fuel efficiency as a top priority. Several design elements of LoneStar provide dramatic aerodynamic performance that leads to superior fuel efficiency, he said.

The truck’s aerodynamic performance has been tested according to Society of Automotive Engineer (SAE) standards, the highest standards in the industry, to validate its claims, Kapur said.

 LoneStar has been evaluated with computer analysis models, small-scale wind tunnels and large-scale wind tunnels.