MAN ERF UK Ltd (original) (raw)

The Day The Talking Stopped!

For well over a year the industry has been talking about Euro 4. Weighing up what it might mean as an operating environment. Guessing at what it could mean in terms of changed operating costs.

During that time the manufacturing industry had lined up two Euro 4 technologies. At MAN we didn’t have to choose one or the other, we had both. We had pioneered the development of SCR from static engines to the automotive sector as part of the international GDK consortium, and had a number of test trucks with over 1.5 million kilometres each of actual on-the-road experience.

Then, in early September, the talking stopped.

Eight top trucks lined up at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire. Motorsport scrutineers monitored the specification of each vehicle. Then, once they were satisfied, twelve independent assessors climbed into the cabs and observer vehicles for the start of a gruelling 1000 mile run round Britain under the closest supervision,. A mixture of tough climbs, busy built-up areas, gentle country roads and demanding motorways.

On their return, the winning trucks were subjected to tests at Millbrook once again to check their Euro 4 compliance.

On 27th September 2006, the results were announced. Commercial Motor told a waiting road transport industry that:

“Based on an overall operational productivity factor combining fuel economy and payload, the winner of the CM Euro-4 1000-mile group test is the MAN TGA 6x2, at 97p per tonne/km; the only contender to beat the £1 mark.”

It was a staggering result. Not only had the MAN TGA with its D20 EGR engine beaten the other 6x2 tractors running at 44 tonnes, it had beaten all the 4x2 tractors at just 40 tonnes as well. And all without the complexity and cost of AdBlue.

Click to view the test results

Click to find out more about MAN's, Euro 4 compliant, EGR Technology