I never expected Walmart to come out with an efficient and gas friendly grocery hauler. Then again, when you realize that Walmart has one of the world’s largest commercial truck fleets, cutting costs somewhere would make sense.
Walmart has dubbed their new truck “The Wave”, which stands for Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience. Wow, Walmart must really be feeling the flow of the green movement as that is one smooth name. Walmart isn’t messing around either, as the Wave is produced using the help of Peterbilt, Great Dane Trailers, and Capstone Turbine.
Yes, I said “turbine”. The truck uses a turbine-powered, battery-electric drivetrain. Meanwhile, a simple combustion engine can run on diesel, natural gas, and biodiesel.
Walmart makes no mention of gas mileage, but the saving from the aerodynamic improvements alone could save the company mountains of money … not that it needs to. But, hey, I can appreciate lowering fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
The front half of the truck looks like it came straight off a supercar and the driver sits racecar-style in the front seat. Multiple LCD displays surround the driver make the Wave look like something out of NASA. And if the driver gets tired of all that racecar-like driving, there is even a sleeper cabin in the back.
The low-profile shape makes this commercial truck 20 percent more aerodynamic than the standard truck Walmart is currently running. The truck really doesn’t have to worry about weight, though, as it will use a 53-foot carbon fiber trailer. I wouldn’t want to jack-knife or smash this trailer on a low-hanging overpass. 53 feet of carbon fiber is probably worth its weight in gold.
Along with the gas mileage, there is no mention of the cost. Walmart has a fleet of 6,000 trucks. Switching over to the Wave could make huge savings, but the cost of replacing just one of these trucks must be monumental. Then again, this is still just a concept for a reason.
