Electric, hybrid, natural gas and other alternative fuels: which will be the future of long-range heavy transport? While these projects will certainly be relevant in the long term, today, and in the immediate future, the sustainability of long-range transportation, including economic sustainability, must build on the reduction of diesel and urea consumption. With the goal of cutting this consumption by as much as 20% in a short period of time, the IMPERIUM consortium and project was born: IMplementation of Powertrain Control for Economic and Clean Real driving EmIssion and ConsUMption.

The IMPERIUM project was born under the aegis of the European Commission and the EGVI, European Green Vehicles Initiative, a public-private partnership dedicated to building “green” vehicles and mobility systems.
The consortium, which also includes FPT Industrial and IVECO, brings the major European truck and engine manufacturers together, as well as suppliers of systems and services, not to mention Universities and Research Centers.
The consortium members, who together represent no less than 45% of heavy transport vehicles manufactured in Europe, with the coordination of AVL, the largest company in the world for development, simulation and testing of drive propulsion systems, focused on a 3-level strategy aimed at reducing fuel and urea consumption by 20% compared to a truck manufactured in 2014, without “exceeding” the current limits on polluting emissions.

The three directives of the IMPERIUM project can be summed up as follows:

• Direct optimization of the main components – engine, transmission, post-treatment system, etc. – to maximize performance
• Global and integrated management of the energy used to coordinate the various sources and optimize their use based on the actual driving situation encountered on the route
• Improvement of knowledge of the specific mission details in order to plan and optimize the use of the various energy sources available.

The new components and systems developed based on these principles were tested, first virtually and then in actual driving, loading and traffic conditions on specific demo trucks, including an FPT Industrial powered IVECO STRALIS. And the results? 20% less consumption and full compliance with the Euro VI emissions standards in actual driving conditions. An outstanding result for a more efficient and cleaner future.