Because you need to see it, Shell Starship 3.0 will take to the road again to show what is possible for efficiency and carbon reduction in commercial road transport.
This run builds on its highly successful fall 2023 US West Coast demonstration.
The Shell Starship 3.0 truck, equipped with a Cummins X15N natural gas engine and powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), was on the road last week (as of May 13) on a route throughout North Carolina.
During the run, performance data will be collected to show the carbon dioxide reduction and freight ton efficiency (FTE) capabilities of Shell Starship 3.0. These results will be third-party monitored and verified by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), as has been done with all previous Starship demonstration runs.
“The Shell Starship initiative continues to provide guidance on ways that advanced, currently available technologies can offer road transport efficiencies to fleets and drivers,” said Tom Mueller, the General Manager of Shell Commercial Road Transport Lubricants. “Gathering added performance data with the natural gas engine-powered Starship will build on the previous run and provide us more information to share with fleets about how they can reduce their energy usage and carbon emissions without losing focus on the cost of their operations.”
Shell Starship 3.0 will begin a nationwide tour starting at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 20–23, 2024.
The truck will participate in the vehicle demonstration ride portion of the show, which focuses on advanced, clean vehicles and technology. Shell Starship 3.0 will then travel to the Shell Rotella SuperRigs at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, from May 30 to June 1. Following that event, the Class 8 truck will travel to Texas for stops at Shell’s Woodcreek headquarters and the Shell Technology Center in Houston.
Shell Starship 3.0 will then visit key Shell partners and customers throughout the US. The tour will end in early fall, with stops at Shell CNG stations in California.
Brothers Brian and Eric Rector will again be tandem drivers for the Shell Starship 3.0. They have been driving Shell Starship since 2020 and have many years of experience driving Class 8 trucks. Updates from their experiences on the road will be posted on various Shell and Shell Rotella social media channels.
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Shell Starship 3.0 - Left side
Shell Starship 3.0 contains components and features that promote lightweighting, low aerodynamic drag, and low rolling resistance on Bridgestone tires. The truck uses low-viscosity Shell Rotella natural gas engine oil and Shell Spirax transmission and axle oils. Low-viscosity lubricants such as these require less energy to move throughout the engine while still providing the protection, efficiency, and performance needed in harsh operating environments.
The Cummins X15N natural gas engine, powered by CNG or RNG where available, emits less CO2 than a diesel engine, confirming the potential for different engine and fuel options to reduce CO2 emissions for fleets. Renewable natural gas (RNG) is a transportation fuel that can be derived from organic waste and is interchangeable with CNG and liquified natural gas (LNG) in transport vehicles.
The term ‘Shell Lubricants’ collectively refers to the companies of Shell plc that are engaged in the lubricants business. Shell Lubricants companies lead the lubricants industry, supplying more than 13 percent of global lubricant volume. The companies manufacture and blend products for use in consumer, heavy industrial, and commercial transport applications. The Shell Lubricants portfolio of top-quality brands includes Shell Rotella, Pennzoil, Quaker State, FormulaShell, Shell TELLUS, Shell RIMULA, Shell SPIRAX, and Jiffy Lube. More at the global website: www.shell.com.