An aerodynamic drag reducing apparatus is adapted for mounting behind a vehicle. The aerodynamic drag reducing apparatus includes a side panel, an actuator arrangement, a top panel, and an interconnecting member. The side panel is adapted to move between a deployed position and a stowed position. The actuator is mounted between the side panel and the vehicle. The top panel is adapted to move between a deployed position and a stowed position. The interconnecting member is connected between the side panel and the top panel. The interconnecting member coordinates movement between the side and top panels such that they each move together between the deployed positions and the stowed positions, respectively. One or more of the panels may be mounted to a door of the vehicle via deformable hinges and/or deformably mounted hinges and thereby allow the door to open compactly against a side of the vehicle by deforming the panels, the hinges, and/or the mounts of the hinges.

A diverter for directing water runoff along a roof includes: a first arm having an upright portion and a base portion, the upright portion is substantially perpendicular to the base portion; a second arm having an upright portion and a base portion, the upright portion being substantially perpendicular to the base portion. The first arm is joined to the second arm at a middle of the diverter such that an angle between the first arm and the second arm is from about 90 degrees to about 160 degrees. The diverter is mountable on the roof such that distal ends of the first arm and the second arm are proximate to side edges of the roof.

An aerodynamic device suitable to be fastened under and to extend downwards from a vehicle, near the vehicle front face includes one central spoiler having a front wall and two side walls extending rearwards from the front wall side ends, and two lateral spoilers, each lateral spoiler having a front wall as well as an outer side wall and an inner side wall each extending rearwards from a front wall side end. In the operative position of the aerodynamic device, the inner side wall of each lateral spoiler substantially faces a corresponding side wall of the central spoiler and forms a channel having a substantially longitudinal axis and having a width along a transverse direction which decreases from its front end to its rear end, so that the channel is capable of canalizing and accelerating air flowing under the vehicle substantially longitudinally from the channel front end towards its rear end.

An aerodynamic drag reduction device for use on an over-the-road cargo vehicle. The vehicle has a prismatically shaped cargo area, which includes a rear face of the cargo area substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel. The device comprises a plurality of resilient prongs arranged along a rear edge of the vehicle body, extending from a respective fixed end secured to the vehicle body rearward in a flow-wise direction beyond the rear edge of the vehicle body to a respective free end. Each prong is separated from an adjacent prong in the plurality, and each is flexible to permit deflection, under the influence of airflow over the vehicle at a predetermined speed, above and below a first plane defined by the surface of the vehicle to which the plurality of prongs is secured. Each prong is further resistant to deflecting in a direction parallel to the first plane.

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing a deployable fairing system to a tractor trailer. The deployable fairing system includes an actuator used to extend the deployable fairing from an unextended configuration to an extended configuration, for example to occupy a portion of a gap area that exists between a tractor and an attached trailer or to extend from the rear of a trailer. The deployable fairing includes deployable upper and/or lower horizontal assemblies that are pivotally coupled to a frame attached to the tractor/cab, and two side panels that are pivotally coupled to one or both of the upper and lower horizontal assemblies. The deployable upper and lower horizontal assemblies and the two side panels fold in on one another along multiple hinged axes in the unextended configuration, and extend rearward from the top and sides of the tractor in the extended configuration to cover a portion of the gap. The fairing may advantageously flair from front to the rear.

An aerodynamic curtain assembly for use with a tank trailer illustratively includes a front nose assembly, and opposing first and second side assemblies. The front nose assembly illustratively includes a front support coupled to the tank trailer, and a flexible air deflector screen coupled to the support and extending arcuately from a first upright supported by a first side of the tank trailer to a second upright supported by a second side of the tank trailer. Each of the side assemblies illustratively includes an upper support member, a lower support member, an upper coupler securing the upper end of a flexible air deflector screen to the upper support member, and a lower coupler securing the lower end of the flexible air deflector screen to the lower support member.

A mud flap for a wheeled vehicle includes an upper mounting portion and an extended protection portion. The extended protection portion includes at least two areas with slotted air flow openings. An upper slot area includes rows of elongated slots with the slots arranged in columns in each row. A lower slot area includes rows of elongated slots with the slots arranged in columns in each row. The slots in the upper slot area have heights that are greater than the heights of slots in the lower slot area. In some embodiments, a middle slot area is positioned between the upper slot area and the lower slot area. The slots in the middle slot area have different heights in different rows. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the slots in the upper slot area is replaced with diagonal mounting features.

A drag reduction device for improving drag efficiency on a land vehicle includes one or more drag reduction devices that are coupled to an exterior portion or contained internally within the vehicle. The drag reduction devices include one or more fan assemblies each contained within a respective housing. The fan assemblies all include, in general, cross-flow fans and air foils that are configured to adjust the movement of air over and around the trailer unit as the land vehicle is being driven along a surface during normal use, and thus provide reduced resistance from air friction and pressure friction and contribute significantly to reduced fuel or other energy consumption as the land vehicle is being driven along a surface during normal use. The fan blades and air foils can be plasma-controlled.

A clamp assembly is provided for securing a panel or fairing to an I-beam, and comprises a pair of side blocks and a clamping block having a central body and a flat surface at at least one end of the central body. The side blocks and the clamping block are secured together using a single bolt. The flat surface at the end of the central body is positioned at an angle to the central body, so as to provide an angled surface for mounting of a fairing.

The invention relates to a vehicle comprising a chassis which has a longitudinal axis and which is supported by wheels; a cab mounted on the chassis, the cab including two side walls; a wind deflecting assembly comprising at least two side deflector panels, each side deflector panel having a front edge linked to a rear portion of the corresponding cab side wall and a rear edge, and extending vertically over at least part of the height of the corresponding cab side wall rear portion; and at least one lighting assembly which is mounted on a side deflector panel and which includes at least a working lamp configured to illuminate an area located rearward of the cab.