The Future of Cement Mixers

What the future holds for the concrete mixer is unclear. Like many industries, concrete is going "green." The manufacturers of volumetric concrete mixers say their products are more environmentally friendly because they save fuel by mixing materials at the construction site -- the trucks don't have to run their engines to keep the concrete from setting. In addition, truck operators can create only the amount of concrete needed to finish a job -- not only does this save materials, but this method also prevents dumping of excess concrete machinery.

Truck manufacturer Peterbilt is experimenting with compressed air "push" systems. The truck would be started using compressed air, and when it reached a certain speed, the diesel engine would kick in. Since an engine requires a larger amount of fuel to overcome inertia, getting it up to speed with relatively inexpensive compressed air would show fuel savings over time. This developing technology is now aimed at inner-city delivery trucks rather than larger trucks like mixers.
IVECO Trucks of Australia is working to perfect a compressed natural gas (CNG) engine for heavy truck use. The CNG trucks have comparable mileage, but release 40 percent less carbon dioxide than diesel and the natural gas is less expensive than diesel fuel. Like many of the new generation engine systems, CNG is paired with state-of-the-art electronics designed to get the most out of every tank of fuel.
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