Shell Starship 2.0 enjoys big fuel economy gains while cutting CO2 emissions

Shell announced today that its high-efficiency Starship 2.0 truck demonstrator had big gains in fuel economy and freight ton efficiency over its 2018 predecessor, Starship 1.0.

A regional trip, which followed the long-haul journey, was even more impressive with nearly double the mpg and triple the freight-ton efficiency of the U.S. average. Both trips were monitored and verified by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency.

Following the same long-haul route that Starship 1.0 took in 2018 from San Diego, Calif. to Jacksonville, Fla., Starship 2.0 saw a nearly 21% gain in fuel economy at 10.8 mpg compared to Starship 1.0’s 8.94 mpg. Average fuel economy for a Class 8 North American tractor-trailer is 6.4 mpg, according to Shell, which is roughly 40% lower than Starship 2.0.

In addition to impressive fuel economy gains, Shell reports that Starship 2.0 can drop CO2 emissions in a big way.
ShellFreight-ton efficiency, the rating that considers the energy or fuel required to move cargo based on weight, shot up for Starship 2.0 to 254 ton-miles per gallon compared to 178 ton-miles per gallon for Starship 1.0. Average freight ton efficiency for North American trucks is 72 ton-miles per gallon, a 71% decline from Starship 2.0.

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