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Airfreight specialist Goldstar is looking forward to significant fuel savings, after specifying a simple and inexpensive option on its latest Euro 4 SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) Mercedes trucks.
The 7.5-tonne Atego 818 and 18-tonne Axor 1824 are equipped with the Mercedes-Benz Motor Start Stop (MSS) system. Available for just £250 per vehicle, MSS offers substantial improvements in fuel economy, simply by cutting the engine while the vehicle is stationary.
When MSS is switched on, the driver engages neutral, releases the clutch and the engine stops after three seconds. To re-start, he depresses the clutch and selects a gear, and the engine fires automatically.
“We’re trying the MSS at the suggestion of dealer Rygor Commercials,” says Transport Manager Charlie Fulk. “The system is cheap to buy, doesn’t adversely affect the truck’s performance, and can be switched off if necessary. In an application like ours, with lots of stop-start driving at Heathrow Airport and around London, the potential savings are great.”
Independent trials of a truck with MSS have yet to be carried out in the UK, but several leading commercial vehicle magazines tested Sprinter vans with the same technology last year and found it improved fuel economy by 30 per cent, and in one case a staggering 78 per cent!
“We confidently expect these trucks to be at least 15 per cent more economical than they would have been without the MSS, so the system will pay for itself pretty quickly,” Mr Fulk continues.
Heathrow-based Goldstar runs 30 vehicles, ranging from Mercedes Vito and Sprinter vans up to 38- and 44-tonne tractor units. The fleet also includes rigids fitted with specialised roller beds to transport airfreight pallets.
The company decided 18 months ago to make Mercedes-Benz its sole supplier and almost all of its vehicles now wear the three-pointed star. |
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