Volvo Trucks Makes Engine More Fuel and Performance Efficient
Published On Jul 13, 2016
Swedish commercial vehicle giant Volvo has always been known for its innovative technologies to improve efficiency of its trucks. Be it the Dynafleet Fleet Management System (FMS) for increasing operational productivity or I-shift Transmission system for efficient power transmission. The latest is its enhanced Euro 6 engine drive-line which saves fuel consumption up to three percent. Apart from improving the engines, there are some aesthetic changes to reduce air drag, which is the main reason of high fuel consumption.
The major changes in driveline include increased compression ratio on D13 engine’s 420 & 460 hp variants and optimized turbocharger on 500 and 540 hp versions. It is to be noted that these changes are integrated with Volvo I-Shift Transmission system to get the desired output. For instance, Volvo FH series trucks can save up to three percent of the fuel with these new changes while on haulage operation. However, the percentage can vary according to loads, roads, and driving pattern.
Mr. Mats Franzen, Volvo’s Product Manager, Powertrain Components, says, “For many of our customers, maintaining a high average speed is important in order to save time – time that may be crucial to the transport mission. In the same way, it’s important to minimize fuel costs. What we have now achieved is an engine and gearbox that utilise their full combined potential to deliver more efficient transportation.” The company has also made some changes in front bumper spoiler, air deflector panel, mud flaps and mud guards to reduce the air drag and increase aerodynamic advantage.
Mr. Anders Tenstam, Senior Research Engineer for Aerodynamic Development, Volvo Trucks shared his views on these changes. He said, “When we work with aerodynamic improvements, the holistic perspective is important. In order to identify those optimisation measures that do the greatest good for our customers, we’ve minutely examined every single detail of the truck.”
See Also:
Volvo Truck India Hosts Seventh Edition of Fuelwatch Challenge
Environment-friendly Volvo Concept Truck Reduces Fuel Consumption by 30%
