This innovation comes after revisions to European Union regulations loosened restrictions on truck length, creating space for potentially life-saving design changes.The test was based on a modern passenger car and heavy truck crashing at speeds that would result in a fatal accident.front designed to mitigate the deadly severity of car-truck collisions.
Current safety standards assume two modern passenger cars with the highest safety ratings will withstand an 80 kph collision without fatalities. Still, the same isn’t true for vehicles striking a truck. The challenge lies in the size and structural rigidity mismatch between trucks and cars. Even at moderate collision speeds, the consequences can devastate those in passenger vehicles.
The innovative new truck design puts safety at the forefront. It incorporates features like an energy-absorbing aluminum honeycomb structure designed to distribute and reduce impact forces. Thanks to revised EU regulations relaxing previous truck length limits, designers now have greater flexibility to implement these safety features. Researchers are also exploring ways to optimize the truck’s front, aiming to deflect cars away from the truck’s forward path and further enhance safety measures.