Meritor, students co-design future fuel efficient truck

TROY, Mich. — ArvinMeritor recently entered into a heavy-duty truck design partnership program with one of the nation’s leading art/design universities.

For the second year in a row, College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit will work with the truck components systems manufacturer on the program, which involves 15 senior-level students in looking for new ways to slash fuel consumption and emissions by 10 to 20 percent as required by impending government regulations.

Navistar International’s truck designers also consulted on the project.

"The new government regulations will change the way companies make trucks. Designers must look at the entire picture when designing a vehicle not just the aesthetics. We are confident that our CCS students are well prepared in this regard," said Mark West, professor and assistant chair of MFA Transportation Design at CCS.

He says the students’ designs address fuel efficiency, sustainability/recycling, and aerodynamic issues. They also closely considered the vehicle’s life expectancy, hybrid powers, integrated solar panels, highway safety, driver comfort and safety, and serviceability.

With input from ArvinMeritor and Navistar, students were also able to develop digital models and physical scale exterior models of their concepts.

The models will be built full-scale and displayed at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky. in March.

The collaboration between CCS and ArvinMeritor was first established in 1998 with the "Visions of the Future" automotive design competition.

The company continues to support educational institutions and programs worldwide with more than 50 percent of its contributions budget.