ESTA has been supporting the European Commission (EC)-funded Aeroflex project, which has been working on new technologies and concepts to improve the efficiency and environmental performance of long-distance heavy freight vehicles by up to 33 percent.
The project – which received EUR9.5 million (USD11 million) in EC funding through the Horizon 2020 programme for research and innovation – started in 2017 and had its final meeting at the end of September.
A key element of the Aeroflex project is the introduction of Intelligent Access Policies – ensuring that the right truck with the right cargo is on the right road at the right time. This, according to ESTA, complements its long-standing call for the development of pan-European heavy transport corridors for abnormal loads.
ESTA added that the Aeroflex organisers are now in the process of arranging follow-up demonstration projects to build on their success to date and the help drive the necessary regulatory reform and investment.
Section transport vice president Iffet Türken, who is also executive board member of trailer manufacturer Kässbohrer, represented ESTA as part of the Aeroflex sounding board. She said: “This is a hugely important project for everyone involved in the European transport and logistics sectors and has involved close and effective cooperation between a wide range of companies and organisations.
“As Aeroflex has already shown, making our industry more sustainable will involve a great deal of new thinking and innovation – which must be backed up by essential political and regulatory support. What is more, its work has great potential benefits for ESTA members and the abnormal transport sector – for example through the drive for effective pan-European regulations and increased and focussed investment in infrastructure.”
