As promised, I wanted to discuss how my Cascadia Evolution has attained the significant fuel mileage increase over my already stellar 2010 model Cascadia.
Freightliner is only claiming a 7% increase in fuel economy over the first-generation EPA 2010 Cascadia model and a 5% increase over the 2013 model with next-generation aerodynamic enhancements.
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| Lifetime fuel mileage for my 2010 Cascadia |
Lifetime fuel mileage for my 2014 Cascadia evolution |
My previous truck was a 2010 Cascadia powered by the DD15 455 HP @ 1800 RPM 1550/1750 lb-ft @ 1100 RPM.
The current truck I drive is a 2014 Cascadia Evolution and is already exceeding Freightliner’s claims of a 7% increase with a 7.4% increase in fuel economy. In my previous blog, I wanted to share with you the results of the three months of April as they were each very close to my normal everyday operating conditions. The results were 13.7% over 2011 and 10.9% over 2012.
Most likely, the first 7% increase on the 2014 Cascadia Evolution came from a wide range of areas. Any one of these items alone would be fairly insignificant, however when combined the impact is huge.
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In regards to fuel savings, the engine also plays a role in the first 7% of this fuel mileage savings. The Detroit DD15 has undergone an evolution of its own for 2014 to gain in both performance and economy. For example, new friction-optimized pistons reduce contact pressure associated with the oil control ring. This not only helps enhance fuel efficiency, it improves durability.
The new variable speed water pump controls flow and power consumption based upon engine speed and coolant temperatures.
This reduces load on the engine.
They’ve also implemented a next generation Amplified Common Rail Fuel System (ACRS) with higher injector pressure for optimized combustion control.
Finally, the updated DD15 uses a patented asymmetric turbocharger, which offers proven performance while reducing mechanical complexity. Working in concert, all of these improvements help increase fuel economy to levels which I could have never imagined.
| The Cascadia Evolution .... Winning the battle at the fuel pump!!! |
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