jjjveryness.com

From the NY Times:

American and Southwest are washing a handful of jet engines each night, a process that used to happen only during thorough maintenance overhauls. Southwest figures it has already saved $1.6 million in fuel costs since April by reducing the drag caused by dirt and debris.

The efforts of the airline industry to increase fuel efficiency are laudable, though it’s a pity they weren’t more efficient to start with. But what works to reduce energy overhead for the airline industry may not work for another industry in crisis because of spiraling fuel costs; the trucking industry.

What does work for both industries is traveling slower. Slower travel takes longer, but can drastically increase mileage and decrease the costs far beyond what the slower transport adds to the bottom line. I drove from Virginia to Florida on Sunday, covering 800 miles. Nearly every one of the trucks - and there were fewer trucks on the highway than I have ever seen - was driving at or below the speed limit.

So what’s the next step for trucks looking for better mileage? I predict aerodynamic exoskeletons. Or that the shipping industry will start focusing on rail again, where the energy efficiency is substantially higher that by truck.