An excellent idea to enourmously reduce diesel fuel consumption ?

Question

IdleAire is a new product available to truck drivers, as an alternative method of heating and cooling the cab area where drivers sleep when they take down time. A bridge type apertatus stretching the length of a truck stop parking lot has central Heat/AC
units for each parking spot. From the unit hangs a yellow tube about 16 inches in diameter, that snaps into a window adapter placed in the passenger side window. At the end of this tube is a computer screen, a satelite tv coaxle hookup, and plug ins for internet use as well as a vent for the warm-cool air to travel through. Members swipe their card, and set the temp. It costs $1.85 an hour. When a diesel engine idles, it uses 1.4 gallons per hour, at $2.50 per gallon. If Idleaire were made available and were required for all drivers to use during their 10 hour D.O.T. required downtime, this country would curb diesel use by at least 1/2 a million barrels per day during weekdays. Imagine how much of an effect that would have on prices!

Answer 1

I think it is an excellent idea, and I would vote for it. Incidentally, what Eastdurham said is true. However, idling an 8 liter diesel just to provide a little heat and electricity to a tiny cab is so stupendously inefficient, that anything is bound to be a better choice.

Such a system could even be powered by a small onsite diesel genset providing AC and power not only to the trucks, but also to the rest of the complex. The engine coolant and exhaust could also be used as a source of heat "co-generation." this would provide notable efficiency gains versus running such a system on the electrical grid.

Another option might be to change the standards for semi trucks, so that they would be better insulated, and might have a tiny diesel burning space heater similar to a camping stove. You could also add a bank of batteries to provide overnight power, and a small AC cooler sized for the cabin space. These things could add more to the book price, but would be worth it in fuel saving over the long run, especially if you are buying ten or twelve gallons a night to idle your engine. I'm guessing that some rigs may already have features like this.

additionally:
Just reading some of the user comments, it seems like the price for such a service is not yet low enough to make it reasonably worthwhile. But believe me when I tell you that idling a diesel is a huge waste of energy. No 2 Diesel fuel contains ~129,500 btu per gallon, at 1/2 gph giving a heat rate of ~ 65,00 btu/hr. This is a greater heat rate than even large residential heating units, and those are not usually on all night. Idling to prevent gelling is of course necessary at times, but if it's done on a regular basis, a much smarter option is just to use a plug in fuel tank heater.

Answer 2

But power plants generate electricity far more efficiently than diesel truck engines (and more cleanly) so for the electrically powered applications there may be a net fuel savings (and a net pollution reduction). It's probably less than the 1/2 million barrels that you've specified unless you've already subtracted the increased electricity usage.

The central heat is a different story since diesel engines are pretty efficient at generating heat and tthe tube or ductwork that carries the heat would necessarily have a lot of losses. Now if you could combine the concept with some other energy generation, e.g. solar, wind, or energy conservation ideas (running tubes underground to use the grounds natural heat sink as a source of heating/cooling...subsurface heat exchange...I'm not sure of the name, but these exist) you might be on to something.

Where did you $1.85/hour cost come from. Is this a calculation based on costs and profits or just a guess?

Answer 3

Yeah, it sounds like a great idea, but ....

#1 ... Most semi-trucks have an optimized idle feature that allows them to burn about 1/2 gallon of deisel fuel per hour while idling. For the required 10-hours of down-time, that is about 5 gallons of fuel at $2.50 per gallon for a total cost of about $12.50 each night.

#2 ... The cost for the "IdleAire" time for the same 10-hour period is $18.50 per night -- not counting the price of the "window adapter unit".

#3 ... The cost of the "window adapter unit" is extremely expensive -- in the neighborhood of a several hundred dollars, if my memory serves from talking with an "IdleAire" representative. It would take months to recoup the cost of the "window adapter unit" alone, not counting in the $1.85 per hour cost to use the adapter.

#4 ... Most truck stops do NOT have "IdleAire" facilities. I'm an over-the-road trucker and I've only seen ONE "IdleAire" facility in the last 3 years, and I routinely travel in 13 different states. So why would I buy a "window adapter unit" for several hundred dollars that I can only use once in a great while?

#5 ... Most truck stops DO offer free or reduced cost WiFi networks, so anyone with a WiFi compatible laptop can bounce onto the internet without plugging in. They also have pre-paid internet kiosk, where you can access the internet on a terminal provided by the truck stop for truckers that don't have a laptop. Plus, most larger trucking firms have QualComm or another similar feature which allows the driver's to have "in-cab email" and "message services".

#6 ... Most larger truck stops DO have movie theaters and/or TV lounges for the drivers to use free of charge. The added benefit is that you get time out of the truck.

I'm sorry but as an owner/operator of a large diesel truck, I'm not buying into the glossy sales brochure. It sounds great on paper, but in real-life ... it falls flat on it's face.

A side-note to this ... during a recent cold snap in my neck of the woods, we left our truck run day and night for 10 days straight to prevent gelling up. Our additional cost was about $120 dollars over the 10 days. The "IdleAire" wouldn't have prevented gel-up, and I would have to pay for a $300 - $400 service call plus the "window adapter unit" plus the $1.85 an hour plus the cost of the lost loads .... $120 seems like a heck of a bargain to me!

I'll keep on trucking, and when it's time to shut down for my 10-hour break ... I'll leave the motor running. :)

Answer 4

Funny you should mention, I'm sitting here idling away within sight of an IdleAire setup in Missouri. First off, IdleAire isn't available all that much. I can go weeks without seeing one. Second, there are no cost savings. My 2005 475hp Cat motor uses 1/2 gallon per hour, so IdleAire would cost more, including service costs. Third, it would have zero effect on prices. OPEC finally got the oil price up, they're not going to let it go down. Their current floor for crude is $60 per barrel, as the price gets close to that mark, they cut production to raise the price back up. February will bring a nasty price spike, as OPEC has announced a production cut by 500,000 barrels per day. Stop dreaming, and join the rest of us where we live: in reality.

Answer 5

I want my truck securely locked when I am asleep in it. I don't think it would be very secure with some kind of plastic adapter stuck in the window.. There are a number of truck stops where I do not feel safe enough to spend the night. I think this will go over like lead balloons.

Answer 6

There are other things to consider in your question. On a cold winter night you have to keep the engine, batteries, and fuel warm in the tanks also. I think the system you are in reference to would fall short of the desired goal needed for both the driver and the vehicle. It might be alright in the summer, but it would have severe shortcomings in the Winter.

Answer 7

Just because it's cheaper doesn't mean you're using less energy, it just means you're getting it at wholesale.

Answer 8

It doesn't sound all that great, to be perfectly honest.