Versmold. 05/10/2021. Nagel-Group has fitted two of its semi-trailer trucks with innovative aerodynamic elements as part of a pilot project to improve its vehicle fleet. The components, which are intended to reduce air resistance resulting in lower CO2 emissions, were developed by the Aachen-based company Betterflow.
A truck’s CO2 emissions are greatly influenced by its aerodynamics. Nagel-Group has fitted one of the test vehicles with three components to improve this: underbody panelling between the supports and the underride trailer guard, a flow-optimising element between the tractor unit and the trailer, as well as retractable rear wings, which automatically fold out from a speed of 60 km/h.
“These Betterflow elements are used at the exact points in a semi-trailer truck where the airflow is disrupted or there is turbulence,” explains Dirk Sieprath, Managing Director of Betterflow GmbH. “The fewer corners and tear-off edges a vehicle has, the less energy it takes to overcome air resistance.”
This pilot project takes Nagel-Group one step further towards more sustainable food logistics. This is an important topic for this ZNU-certified company. The Betterflow project is one of many projects, including tests with e-trailers and LNG trucks, that Nagel-Group is driving forward to reduce its CO2 emissions.
“As a logistics provider, we feel we have a special responsibility to continuously work on improving our CO2 footprint. We can develop sustainable solutions at an early stage by testing innovative systems such as Betterflow’s and ensure a future-proof fleet,” explains Dirk Lückingsmeier, Head of Fleet Management at Nagel-Group. “Our cooperation with Betterflow was very positive and took a partnership approach. We are delighted with what we have observed so far and are eagerly anticipating the results we will be able to report after our testing phase.”
BETTERFLOW GmbH
BETTERFLOW’s innovative products improve aerodynamics on the tractor unit, thus significantly reducing fuel consumption and costs. . More than ten employees at the company headquarters in Aachen have been perfecting this patented rear wing system since 2012. BETTERFLOW’s supplementary add-on parts improve aerodynamic drag even further, exploiting the full aerodynamic potential of the trucks and providing customers with a significant benefit in efficiency. www.betterflow.com
About Nagel-Group
The Nagel-Group, headquartered in Versmold/East Westphalia, is a family-owned company operating throughout Europe and specialising in food logistics. The group employs more than 12,000 people at over 130 European locations. Every day, it transports around 100,000 food consignments of all sizes and temperature classes throughout Europe. This makes the unique network the leader in Germany and the leading provider of temperature-controlled logistics services in Europe.
Whether it’s frozen products, meat, dairy products, coffee or confectionery – day after day, the Nagel-Group helps ensure that consumers throughout Europe find the right goods at the right time and in the right quality at the point of sale on behalf of industry and trade. In this way, the Nagel-Group makes a significant contribution to the success of its customers. The range of services extends from procurement logistics, transport and distribution to warehousing, order picking and packaging, as well as value-added services such as display construction, labelling and customs clearance. Foodstuffs are moved in all temperature classes (from ambient to frozen). The entire range of shipment sizes also finds its way through the Nagel-Group’s European network: from parcels to general cargo, part loads and full loads to tanker loads. A secure and high-performance IT landscape rounds off the service.
