Volvo Trucks announced at the Mid-America Trucking Show the addition of a natural gas-powered Volvo VNL daycab, further solidifying the company’s position as a fuel efficiency leader among truck manufacturers, according to company officials.
“The addition of the Volvo natural gas-powered VNL daycab is just the most recent example of our longstanding commitment to offering products that positively impact the ROI of our customers,” said Ron Huibers, president, Volvo Trucks North American Sales & Marketing. “Developing fuel-efficient technology, whether through natural gas, diesel, or hybrid, is a priority for Volvo Trucks. We were the first commercial vehicle manufacturer to offer EPA 2010-certified engines with no credits, and we’ve continued that legacy by focusing our efforts on offering fleets solutions that reduce their fuel costs.”
The Volvo VNL daycab offers customers a larger 123-inch bumper-to-back-of-cab (BBC) cab size and is rated up to 80,000 pounds GCWR and provides a more robust spec than the natural-gas powered Volvo VNM daycab. Introduced in 2011, the VNM daycab features a 113-inch BBC and is rated up to 66,000 pounds GCWR.
The natural gas-powered VNL model will be equipped with a 12-liter, 400-horsepower, 1,450 lb-ft-torque Cummins Westport ISX12 G engine that uses cost-effective, clean-burning compressed or liquefied natural gas and requires only a three-way catalyst to meet EPA 2010 emissions standards.
Volvo is currently operating natural gas-powered VNL demonstrator trucks, with production beginning in conjunction with commercial availability of the Cummins Westport 12-liter gas engine.
Volvo Trucks also showed Mean Green, the world’s fastest hybrid truck in its booth at MATS. Mean Green, developed utilizing Volvo Group’s hybrid driveline technology, is equipped with a Volvo D16 engine and a modified version of Volvo’s automated I-Shift gearbox, which interacts with the hybrid’s electric motor.
“Volvo has the engineers, technology and global support that result in solutions that strengthen the value of ownership for our customers,” Huibers said. “This is evidenced not only by the VNL daycab and Mean Green, but also our I-Shift automated manual transmission and award-winning, fuel-efficient XE13 powertrain package.”
The integrated XE13 powertrain package is available for Volvo VN series tractors and improves fuel efficiency by about three percent by lowering engine rpms at a given vehicle speed, a concept Volvo calls “downspeeding.” The XE13 package includes I-Shift, the Volvo D13 engine and proprietary software. The XE13 builds upon the fuel efficiency advantages delivered by Volvo’s EPA 2010-certified No-Regen engines with SCR technology. ♦
