Volvo Debuts Updated Powertrain, Claims Additional Fuel Efficiency
This story appears in the March 28 print edition of Transport Topics.
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Volvo Trucks North America last week introduced a suite of new products, including 2017 engines and powertrain enhancements, with the common goals of enhancing fuel efficiency and driver experience.
Its 11- and 13-liter updated models, D11 and D13, respectively, were rolled out in addition to the D13 with turbo compounding during a March 22 tour of the engine and powertrain plant here. Fuel efficiency improvements were reported at 2.2% for the D11, 2.5% for the D13 and 6.5% for the model with turbo compounding, when compared with previous-generation engines.
The new products also represent Volvo’s positioning to comply with federal emissions standards that take effect Jan. 1. The truck maker has requested certification from the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, whose standards require a 3% overall improvement in 2017 over the fuel efficiency in place during 2014.
“All our products will be compliant in 2017,” Volvo spokesman John Mies told Transport Topics.
To date, no truck maker has received those agencies’ approvals. However, engine maker Cummins Inc. obtained that certification in January.
The regulations in question are the second half of Phase 1 of federal greenhouse-gas emissions for heavy- and medium-duty trucks. The first part of Phase 1 took effect in January 2014.
“Volvo engineered multiple engine enhancements to provide customers with the needed fuel savings without sacrificing power and performance,” VTNA President Göran Nyberg said.
The 11-liter enhancements include a common-rail fuel system designed for quieter operations, new wave pistons, a 2-speed coolant pump, a 2-piece valve cover and an assembled camshaft, components that also are being introduced on larger engines.
Together, the enhancements are meant to replicate performance of earlier-generation 13-liter engines. January 2017 availability is targeted for the 11-liter engine, according to a statement. Horsepower is increased nearly 5% to 425 hp.
The D13, targeted for shorter-distance services such as pickup and delivery runs, offers enhancements similar to the 11-liter. It also provides 6% more torque. Availability is planned for October.
The model with turbo compounding, slated for availability in mid-2017, is designed to cruise at 300 rpm less than today’s typical truck, said Wade Long, director of product marketing, using Volvo’s XE powertrain package. One percentage point of that turbo compounding fuel-efficiency improvement is tied to a driveline with a2.47:1 rear-axle ratio.
It’s designed for highway operation, with enhancements intended to help drivers run in top gear in states such as California with lower speed limits, while providing flexibility to run at higher speeds.
Turbo compounding converts exhaust heat into 50 additional horsepower, which is transferred back into the engine, John Moore, marketing product manager, said during the tour of the plant.
Moore estimated the potential savings using turbo compounding at $231,000 annually for a 75-truck fleet running 125,000 miles per vehicle at 7 mpg, assuming $2.65 per gallon for diesel.
Volvo also is beginning production on a new version of its D16, a 16-liter engine targeted to heavy-haul and vocational fleets and offering as much as 600 hp and 2,050 pound-feet of torque. Production will begin in January.
“We are not stopping at engines,” Long said, explaining that I-shift “crawler gears” will be available on the D16. The new gearing is designed to improve fuel efficiency during slow-speed paving, pouring of concrete and similar activities.
Another change is replacement of a two-box exhaust aftertreatment with a one-box approach, designed to speed maintenance.
“These new Volvo powertrain enhancements incorporate our innovative engineering and technology expertise with our focus on meeting customers’ needs,” Nyberg said.
He said the enhancements will deliver value and that pricing on models with the new features will be “competitive,” but he didn’t specify a cost.
Operations also are being enhanced by the U.S. introduction next year of predictive cruise control technology known as I-See, which Moore said was designed to consistently maximize fuel efficiency because drivers’ performance varies during a shift. The feature is programming for I-Shift automated manual transmissions that stores topography for up to 4,500 hills. The intent, he said, is to find the right combination of gearing and power for climbing a hill and then rolling down.
“Drivers are now going to get more power for less fuel spent,” Moore said.
The latest announcements also focused on weight reductions, such as 17 pounds less for the one-box exhaust aftertreatment system, and 40 pounds less for the assembled crankshaft.
As the new products were announced, Nyberg described 2016 “as a new year with new challenges. We see a softer year ahead of us. The first quarter has been extra soft, but we still expect to have one of the better [sales] years in North America.”
“We are on schedule and are not at all behind” in obtaining EPA certification, Susan Alt, senior vice president of Volvo Group, told TT.
