Summary
- Profile Type
- Technology offer
- POD Reference
- TOAT20251112008
- Term of Validity
- 2 December 2025 - 2 December 2026
- Company's Country
- Austria
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
- Targeted Countries
- All countries
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General information
- Short Summary
- The Upper Austrian SME offers patented aerodynamic pads for commercial vehicles such as long-distance trucks, trailers, busses vans and cars which can be easily mounted or retrofitted. Their bionic design reduces air resistance and enables energy and CO2 savings of up to 5%. The SME is looking for licensees like OEMs, suppliers in the automotive sector, fleet operators, retailers, service companies and R&D partners for further development in the maritime and aviation sectors.
- Full Description
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PROBLEM DESCRIPTION AND SOLUTION
Commercial vehicles such as long-distance trucks consume up to 40% of their energy to overcome air resistance. The Upper Austrian SME offers a solid product that is the result of 15 years research and development and that utilises the proven mechanisms of nature and fluid dynamics. With its bionic design in the form of three fins (similar to a shark scale), the aerodynamic pads enable a significant reduction in vehicle air resistance, thereby improving efficiency and environmental compatibility.
DIFFERENCE TO THE STATE OF THE ART
Previous similar solutions restricted ground clearance or the loading and unloading of the truck, among other things. In addition, other types of product solutions can be considerably heavier (like a tailgate on a truck with around 300kg) and larger making it impossible to navigate the vehicles in narrow sections of the road as they often occur at construction sites or generally in European cities. Furthermore, they mostly require separate control during the operation of the vehicle. This leads to higher repair costs and a later return on investment. However, the flexible and lightweight installation options of these airodynamic pads allow the commercial vehicles to be operated in the usual manner.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY
The aerodynamic pads are mounted on the cab or trailer, depending on the vehicle, to achieve an optimum effect. The air is accelerated to three times its speed by the attached pads. This is achieved by their bionic design, which is based on shark scales, and the precise arrangement of the individual pads. The air flow is thus optimised and energy is saved. This means the higher the speed and size of the vehicle, the more energy can be saved.
In general, this requires between 4 and 7 pads per vehicle which are attached with an adhesive tape certified for the automotive industry. Moreover, there are three different types available which differ in size and weight: weighing from 0,9 to 1,5kg and and dimensions up to 77x320x240mm (height x length x width).
They can be manufactured using injection moulding, which means that even in large quantities, the quality meets the requirements of the automotive industry, for example. Furthermore, they can be colour-matched to the respective vehicle design, are durable (made of UV-resistant, 99% recyclable plastic) and easy to remove. In addition, it is possible to integrate the pads directly into a vehicle design.
APPLICATION AREAS
The aerodynamic pads enable energy savings in (commercial) vehicles powered by diesel, petrol, electricity or hydrogen. The applied fins are available for trucks, trailers, busses vans and cars and can be easily integrated into the vehicle design or retrofitted to existing vehicles.
Retrofitting can be carried out by a commercial vehicle workshop during standard service visits and takes 30 to 45 minutes.
Additionally, the company offers aerodynamic R&D including wind tunnel testing (with the support of a third party), data analysis and validation of CFD & field data. This enables licensees the ideal mounting of the pads in regard of energy efficiency & capacity of loads. - Advantages and Innovations
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UNIQUE SELLING POINTS
- Reduced fuel consumption through the wind flow optimisation and low weight: The range of the energy savings lies between -3% and -5% (depending on the wind conditions, e.g. sideways or from the front).
- Loading capacity remains unchanged: Furthermore, this solution weighs only 1.5 to 5 kg per set, compared to a tailgate on a truck, which weighs around 100 to 300 kg.
- Reduced CO2 emissions & CO2 related costs for vehicles powered by diesel or petrol: This is a current challenge for manufacturers and users. In the medium term, the aerodynamic pads can have a positive impact in terms of CO2 certificates and legal requirements such as sustainability targets. The price per tonne of CO2 will continue to rise in the future. In addition, manufacturers will face CO2 penalties from 2030 onwards.
Further advantages for partners:
- Cost effective solution for fleet operators & OEMs: The return of investment of the applied aerodynamic solution will be reached within 8 to 12 months.
- Easy and flexible product application & use: The mounting is easily possible without structural damage. It is best implemented during standard service visits and the estimated time needed for large trucks is max. 45 minutes. Furthermore, in case of damage, the vehicle may continue to be used and the pads are easily removable & replaceable.
Different market applications are possible too: In addition to road transport, this solution also offers the possibility of future applications in the aviation and maritime sectors (leads e.g. to more stability). - Stage of Development
- Available for demonstration
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- Goal 13: Climate Action
- Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- IPR status
- IPR granted
- IPR notes
- The technology has been invented in Austria and is patented not only in Austria, but also in further European countries and in the United States.
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
-
The SME is seeking OEMs and relevant suppliers from the truck, bus, van and car sectors who are interested in the rights to use the solution. It offers OEMs licences for the mass production of parts with the integrated aerodynamic technology solution (e.g. integration in the mirror or underside of the vehicle).
Fleet operators, service companies, retailers and online distributors are also welcome as licensees.
Strategic partners like research insitutions interested in the further development of the solution (in the aviation and maritime sectors) are also welcome. - Type and Size of Partner
- SME <=10
- R&D Institution
- University
- SME 11-49
- Big company
- SME 50 - 249
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
Dissemination
- Technology keywords
- 02009004 - Road Vehicles
- 02009001 - Design of Vehicles
- 02009002 - Hybrid and Electric Vehicles
- 02009012 - Automotive engineering
- Market keywords
- 09001002 - Trucking
- 09001005 - Motor vehicles, transportation equipment and parts
- 06011 - Energy for Transport
- 09001001 - Airlines
- Targeted countries
- All countries
