Scania Streamline G490

Roughly 16,000km separate Brussels, home of the EU commission, and the Australian capital of Canberra in a geographic sense, but in the world of heavy vehicle legislation, the distance between the two is even more daunting. While Brussels’ stringent Euro VI standard came into effect all the way back in 2014 and is now widely practiced, analysts don’t expect Australia to follow suit anytime before 2018, with many considering 2020 to be a more realistic goal.

But, that doesn’t mean local transport businesses are refused access to the latest technology from Germany, Scandinavia or France. In fact, Swedish OEM Scania is already selling tomorrow’s technology today, with high-profile fleets like TNT Express among the early adopters planning for contracts that may include a Euro VI provision.

Following its example, Prime Mover is taking the Scania Streamline G490 6×4 from Melbourne to Adelaide to see whether the alleged 50 per cent emissions reduction compared to Euro V has any effect on fuel economy or drivability. Joining us is Scania expert Alan McDonald to make sure we get the most out of a technology that is still somewhat futuristic for Australia.

According to Alan, one useful fuel saving tool whose full potential is overlooked is the Opticruise automated manual transmission we have on board our test vehicle. Whilst the basics of the box are simple – twist the knob on the right-hand stalk forward into A or AE (economy) mode and away you go – there is much to be gained by understanding it in more depth, he says, especially when stuck in Melbourne’s start-and-stop morning traffic.

The full story has appeared in the November edition of Prime Mover. To get your copy, click here.

 

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