Jun. 21--People driving past the ABB plant in South Boston on Friday got a look at a very unusual 18-wheeler -- an aerodynamically-designed, fuel-efficient rolling exhibit of Germany-based Reinhausen Manufacturing's wares.

The front of the truck's cab looks a bit like a piranha -- or even enough like one of the white-helmeted storm troopers from the "Star Wars" movies that you expect it to sound like Darth Vader. The cab has a relatively small radiator grill that is designed to scoop air into the engine and a very high cab designed to protect the driver in the event of an accident.

"The driver sits three feet higher than in standard U.S. trucks," Armin Bauer, truck and tour manager for MM Promotion, who partnered with Reinhausen for the rolling exhibit. Bauer said the driver's position puts him above any part of the cab likely to be impacted in an accident.

"It's 10 percent safer than any other truck in the world," Bauer said.

Bauer noted that despite the raised seating position for the driver, the overall height of the truck is still 13-feet, 6 inches so it will fit under standard-height overpasses.

The overall shape of the cab acts as a windbreak, Bauer said, so it gets up to speed with less power and the engine lasts longer.

The truck also gets better gas mileage than other 18-wheelers.

"We're making 8.7 miles per gallon; the U.S. average is 4.7, with really good trucks at this weight (80,000 pounds loaded) getting 6.2 (mpg)," Bauer said. "That's a big difference on the economy side."

Bauer said German industrial designer Luigi Colani created the truck's design.

"He started in the 50s with designs following nature, and aerodynamics are definitely based on nature, as you can see," Bauer said. "Some people have compared its appearance to a grasshopper, a bug, a fish."

The trailer, complete with kitchen and restroom facilities, has slide-out sides that create a spacious exhibit area -- 864 square feet -- and it was the load tap chargers, diverter switches and transformer components in the exhibit that captured the attention of ABB staff at the South Boston plant, where transformers are manufactured.

Jim McLean, director of Parts, Service & Marketing at Reinhausen's Humboldt, Tenn., plant, explained that tap chargers are used mainly at power company substations.

"A tap charger is the device at all power substations, with the big transformers; it regulates the voltage going out to homes and businesses," McLean said.

Reinhausen's tap charger is the best available, McLean said, because it requires less maintenance and lasts longer than other tap chargers.

Many tap changers required some kind of maintenance as they reach 40,000 operations -- 80,000 if they have a filter installed -- but one of Reinhausen's models can last for 1 million operations.

"1 million operations at 30 operations a day means it will have roughly 78 years of life," McLean said. "And we don't even want you to look in it until you get to 500,000 operations."

McLean said being able to put off the maintenance checks for that long saves utilities money -- and can be environmentally friendly as well, since leaving everything sealed for longer periods of time means none of the oils inside have a chance to leak out.

"Transformers typically last 35 years -- we can outlast the transformer," McLean said.

An array of other products, including various filters, gauges, thermometers and breathers, all designed to help transformers work more efficiently, were on display throughout the exhibit.

The high-tech truck -- and its high-tech contents -- will be touring the United States for three months, visiting power utility companies, industries and transformer manufacturers in 26 states.

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