Wave Truck, Walmart's high tech trucks of the Future

On Friday, Wal-Mart unveiled its futuristic truck at the Mid-America Trucking Show, and it looks like a vehicle out of a Transformers movie. It's a concept truck and trailer that previews the future of long-haul freight, and was designed by Walmart in partnership with Peterbilt, Great Dane Trailers, and Capstone Turbine. This concept truck is called W.A.V.E. (Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience).

The design of the cab is unusual to say the least, sitting on top of what some are saying looks like the back half of a Corvette. That low profile, however, is key to making the Wave truck 20% more aerodynamic than a standard truck and trailer. The driver sits in the middle of the cab, rather than on the left side.

Also new is that the 53-foot trailer is made entirely of lower weight carbon fiber, with the company saying it is the first time that a 53-foot side piece has been built entirely from the material in one panel. The approach reduces unloaded truck weight by some 4,000 pounds. That means either better mileage from the lower weight, or the ability to add more freight to a truck that otherwise would weigh out.

The WAVE's revolutionary microturbine, developed by Capstone Turbine, is capable of running on natural gas and other fuels all the while producing virtually no emissions. As a result, the microturbine does not require the exhaust scrubbers and chemical treatments that conventional diesel engines use. The microturbine operates using air bearing technology and air cooling which allows the truck to forego the need for heavy lubrication and liquid cooling systems.

The WAVE's advance hybrid drive system is programmed to find the most efficient balance between its turbine and electric drivetrains. The hybrid system functions in 3 modes: charge mode, electric vehicle mode and hybrid electric mode. The truck will select the most efficient mode automatically or via manual inputs from the driver.


Walmart has only just started formal testing on the WAVE prototype, and has no definite date for when it might be integrated into its fleet.