Volvo Trucks has unveiled a new concept truck which claimed to consume 30% less fuel than conventional trucks.

This new concept truck was developed in collaboration with Swedish Energy Agency and US Department of Energy.

Volvo says that the concept truck has been developed following five years of research aimed at making vehicle more energy-efficient.

Volvo Trucks president and CEO Claes Nilsson said: "We continuously work on developing more energy-efficient vehicles.

"This is a high-priority area both out of environmental concern and in order to reduce our customers' costs.

"We're proud to be able to drive this development. Our concept truck showcases the immense power of on-going technical advances."

One of the major contributors to the fuel efficiency comes from 40% of aerodynamic efficiency which has benefited both the tractor and the trailer.

In order to reduce the drag on the vehicle, conventional rear-view mirrors have been replaced with cameras. This not only improved aerodynamic efficiency, but has also added to better visibility and improved safety.

The vehicle has also been fitted with newly developed tyres with low rolling resistance.

Volvo has reduced the weight of the trailer which is two tonnes less than a conventional trailer. This roughly translates into either higher fuel efficiency or higher payload carrying capacity.

The Swedish company claims that air resistance on the new concept truck has been reduced at various places including side-skirts covering rear wheels on the tractor and trailer, spoilers extending to the trailer, cutting air resistance, optimised air flow to the engine's cooling system and minimising air resistance in the front, wheel housings and at entry steps.

Volvo Trucks chief project manager Oke Othzen said: "We've modified the entire rig and optimised it for improved aerodynamics as much as possible.

"For instance, we use cameras instead of rear-view mirrors. This cuts air resistance, so less energy is needed to propel the truck."

Since 2011, research on the concept truck has been ongoing, with the aim to improve fuel efficiency for long-haul truck transportation by about 50%.

Volvo plans to add some of the aerodynamic features of the concept truck in new versions of Volvo trucks while many more features will be added in future models.