Volvo Trucks North America Press Conference (Shippensburg, PA)

[kscarbel2]

Long haul share shrinks, automation grows: Volvo

Today’s Trucking  /  June 28, 2016

Volvo Trucks North America sees long haulers accounting for a shrinking portion of the truck market, as the industry responds to pressures including a driver shortage and recent upgrades to the Panama Canal.

Magnus Koeck, vice president – marketing and brand management, says that share has dropped to about 43% of the marketplace compared to 50% last year. In contrast, regional haulers account for about 35%  of the market as more freight is regionalized, he said during a briefing for industry media, adding the impact will be “proportionally a little larger” in the U.S. than Canada.

The recently opened $5.4-billion upgrade to the canal will also allow the passage of neo-Panamax ships, which can carry 14,000 containers at a time. Many U.S. ports along the east coast of the U.S. are already expanding to accommodate them.

It isn’t the only shift he expects. Koeck also said that manual transmissions will completely give way to automation in just five years. Volvo has certainly seen a widespread adoption of its I-Shift Automated Manual Transmission, which is now spec’d in 88.8% of its trucks.

While vehicle dynamics are changing, the North American market itself continues to struggle when compared to the near-record sales of 2015. Volvo expects 250,000 Class 8 trucks to be sold this year. Blame factors including large inventories at dealerships, created when manufacturers continued to produce high volumes of equipment even as the market began to slump.

“It will be tough to get the market going when we have so much inventory at the dealers,” he said.

Low diesel prices, meanwhile, continue to slow the acceptance of natural gas as a vehicle fuel, he added, noting how it is now powering about 2% of trucks.

Construction-related business continues to increase, though, and recent upgrades to the Volvo powertrain will be positioned to take advantage of that.

“We’re really targeting opportunities for Volvo to grow in the vocational marketplace,” said Wade Long, director – product marketing. “We’re bringing in fuel-efficiency for a market that was just focused on getting to the top of the hill first.”

New versions of the I-Shift transmissions that come with crawler gears, for example, will open the spec’ing option to heavy haulers who pull up to 220,000 pounds. The ability to move at as little as 0.6 miles per hour also allows the transmission to be used to support tasks such as pouring curbs.

Orders for the crawler gears are accepted now, while production begins in October.

Production of upgraded D11 and D16 engines begins in January, while a D13 with turbo compounding begins production in mid-2017.

[kscarbel2]

Excess inventory a concern, but truck market remains strong: Volvo

Truck News  /  June 28, 2016

Sluggish order activity and high dealer inventories are plaguing Volvo and other truck makers this year, but Volvo continues to project North American Class 8 truck sales to come in at around 250,000 units.

Not a bad year, though it may feel that way on the heels of 2015, which was nearly a record year for Class 8 truck sales. That was the message from Magnus Koeck, vice-president of marketing and brand management at Volvo Trucks North America, who spoke to the truck press this morning before offering the first drives of trucks with Volvo’s 2017 powertrain.

Koeck said an inflated inventory-to-sales ratio across the general economy is slowing freight growth and having an adverse effect on truck manufacturers, who were pumping out trucks to meet last year’s strong demand.

“We are experiencing high inventory levels at dealers,” Koeck said. “Everyone is facing the same challenge and it will, of course, be tough to get the market going when we have so much inventory at the dealers.”

Koeck said demand for new trucks fell sharply last June and OEMs struggled to curtail production quickly enough to prevent an inventory build-up.

“That’s where we are today,” he said. “It is high levels and will continue to be high levels definitely into the third quarter. We anticipate it to fall down a little bit in the fourth quarter.”

Volvo is projecting US manufacturing activity to remain flat, while construction spending increases. It also anticipates oil will remain at about $50 per barrel and diesel prices at about US$2.27 per gallon for the remainder of 2016.

As a result, Koeck said, demand for vocational trucks is now growing relative to longhaul tractors. Last year, linehaul tractors accounted for about half of Class 8 trucks sold into the US market but this year that has decreased to 43% while vocational truck demand has increased. The regional haul market is also expected to grow relative to linehaul. Koeck said Volvo is carefully monitoring shifting trade patterns that may result from the recent expansion of the Panama Canal, which could funnel more containerized freight through the Eastern Seaboard.

Volvo continues to make gains in pushing its integrated powertrain. Koeck said 94.5% of Volvo trucks now carry Volvo engines and 88.8% are ordered with the I-Shift automated manual transmission.

“In five years, we won’t see manuals anymore,” Koeck predicted, noting the addition of low-speed crawler gears to the I-Shift opens it up to a whole new set of vocational applications. The new I-Shift with crawler gears and 2017 engine with enhancements to offer greater fuel economy were demonstrated to the trade press – and more than 100 customers – this week. Trucknews.com will have a review of the new powertrain and I-Shift with crawler gears later this week.

[kscarbel2]

Volvo Trucks D13 engine with turbo compounding improves fuel efficiency up to 6.5% and delivers more torque

Green Car Congress  /  June 28, 2016

Volvo Trucks North America is adding a turbo compounding option for the Volvo D13 engine. By converting wasted heat energy, the 13-liter D13 with turbo compounding improves fuel efficiency by up to 6.5 percent%, while also delivering up to 100 extra lb-ft of torque for improved performance.

Turbo compounding increases fuel efficiency by converting wasted heat energy from the exhaust into useable mechanical energy that is returned as extra torque to the crankshaft of the engine. This additional torque allows the Volvo D13 with turbo compounding to improve performance and efficiency at the same time.

The Volvo D13 with turbo compounding will be available in two HP ratings— 425 and 455— in combination with three torque management packages—XE-Economy, XE-High-Torque and XE-Adaptive Gearing— giving customers flexibility to achieve improved fuel efficiency. The D13 with turbo compounding optimizes fuel efficiency for steady state, long-haul applications where downspeeding drivelines thrive.

In addition to turbo compounding, several other improvements were made to the D13 engine to boost efficiency, improve serviceability, reduce noise, and vibration. New shimless rockers reduce maintenance time for valve adjustments, while a proven common rail fuel system helps cut noise and vibration in the cab. The engine also features a new wave piston design to help improve combustion efficiency through a higher compression ratio and improved flame propagation resulting in lower soot output.

The Volvo D13 with turbo compounding will be available in mid-2017 as an option on Volvo sleeper models spec’d for long haul applications.

[kscarbel2]

Volvo Trucks D13 Engine with Turbo Compounding Offers Increased Power and Fuel Efficiency

Volvo Group Press Release  /  June 28, 2016

Volvo Trucks North America is adding a turbo compounding option for the Volvo D13 engine, bringing even more power and fuel efficiency to one of the industry’s most fuel-efficient engines. By converting wasted heat energy, the 13-liter D13 with turbo compounding improves fuel efficiency by up to 6.5 percent, while also delivering up to 100 extra lb.-ft. of torque for improved performance.

"The Volvo D13 with turbo compounding offers real-world benefits to owners and drivers," said Gӧran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North America. "Thanks to improved fuel efficiency and additional torque, customers spec'ing this new engine will not only enhance driveability, but positively impact their bottom line."

Turbo compounding increases fuel efficiency by converting wasted heat energy from the exhaust into useable mechanical energy that is returned as extra torque to the crankshaft of the engine. This additional torque allows the Volvo D13 with turbo compounding to improve performance and efficiency at the same time.

"The D13 with turbo compounding is a perfect partner for our popular XE – eXceptional Efficiency – downspeeding package," said John Moore, Volvo product marketing manager – powertrain. "It's a win-win for fuel efficiency and performance, as downspeeding increases the energy in the exhaust, which in turn boosts the efficiency of the turbo compounding unit and reduces engine friction at lower cruise rpm's. This engine will allow all downspeeding driveline packages to now cruise at engine speeds that are 100 rpm lower than before while at the same time offering more torque to maintain performance."

The Volvo D13 with turbo compounding will be available in two HP ratings – 425 and 455 – in combination with three torque management packages – XE- Economy, XE-High-Torque and XE-Adaptive Gearing – giving customers flexibility to achieve improved fuel efficiency. The D13 with turbo compounding optimizes fuel efficiency for steady state, long-haul applications where downspeeding drivelines thrive.

In addition to turbo compounding, several other improvements were made to the D13 engine to boost efficiency, improve serviceability, reduce noise, and vibration. New shimless rockers reduce maintenance time for valve adjustments, while a proven common rail fuel system helps cut noise and vibration in the cab. The engine also features a new wave piston design to help improve combustion efficiency through a higher compression ratio and improved flame propagation resulting in lower soot output.

The Volvo D13 with turbo compounding will be available in mid-2017 as an option on Volvo sleeper models spec'd for long haul applications.

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[kscarbel2]

Volvo: Class 8 orders low, inventories growing, but '17 tech shows promise

Fleet Owner  / June 29, 2016

Noting, as many have, that retail sales for Class 8 trucks in North America have lagged this year, Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) execs say truck dealers' inventories are swelling and present a problem for the market picking back up. At the same time, the latest 2017 fuel-efficiency technologies that've come about thanks to federal Greenhouse Gas Phase I regulations are rolling out and opening new possibilities.

"There's pretty slow order-taking in the industry overall," contends Magnus Koeck, vice president for marketing and brand management at VTNA. "Everyone is facing the same challenge." Manufacturers have continued churning out trucks at fairly high rates — as has Volvo, he notes — "and when the market slows down, it just builds up in terms of inventory out at dealerships." Still, the company continues to project North American Class 8 sales this year of 250,000 units.

VTNA also sees some bright spots in the trucking industry spectrum, and the OEM just began this week demonstrating its latest advancements in engines and transmissions both with the first wave of customers and Tuesday morning with a group of reporters. The company specified when new 2017 tech unveiled earlier this year goes into production and did some show-and-tell with the hardware and how it works (watch for our breakout look next week).

One standout has been VTNA's Wave Piston technology going into D11 and D13 heavy-duty diesel engines. The company essentially has built a better mouse trap in this case, redesigning the piston crown itself with six "tabs" or divots that better concentrate and shape the fuel mixture to promote combustion. In testing, the OEM was showing the new pistons reduce soot output by a very significant 90%, so VTNA got new testing equipment to check it again and make sure.

"We thought our testing equipment might be faulty. It wasn't the equipment," says Wade Long, director of product marketing at VTNA. "What is soot? It's unburnt fuel," he points out, explaining that the Wave Piston improves flame propagation for improved fuel economy and greatly reduced soot. The technology going into Mack and Volvo engines could mean changes may be possible regarding the need for treatment like diesel particulate matter filtering.

Volvo's I-Shift transmissions are another star of the show for 2017, particularly with new "Crawler" add-on gears designed as a lower-cost alternative to provide extreme slow-speed control valuable in vocational and heavy haul-type applications while allowing a rear-axle ratio that gives fuel efficiency at highway speeds. Vocational trucks "can drive down the highway at a decent rpm when they're cruising and they come back home instead of running at 1,700 rpm or so trying to do 65 mph," says John Moore, a product marketing manager at VTNA.

"Lots of people say, 'It's a dump truck, I don't care.' Well, if you have 50 of them and you're talking a 3% gain in fuel efficiency, that adds up fast," Moore tells Fleet Owner. "We're excited even to be able to be talking about fuel efficiency with vocational vehicles. It also aids in engine longevity and reliability as well; it's less stress when you're running an engine at 1,500 rpm instead of 1,800 rpm, less vibration."

With the flexibility it allows, VTNA's Koeck contends that the I-Shift transmissions "definitely can do all the work that the customer needs."

VTNA has six more predictions and observations for the heavy truck market:

1. The prices of diesel/ crude oil will remain on the low side. "We anticipate overall that diesel prices on average will remain low at about $2.27/gal. and [the price of crude oil] about $50/barrel; I think it was around $47 yesterday (Monday)," Koeck notes.

2. Manufacturing will stay about even. The North American manufacturing market will remain about flat for this year, VTNA predicts, part of the reason orders are flagging.

3. Long haul will decline as regional/ short haul gains. VTNA, like others, is tracking trends toward more regional- and short-haul — and likely also for day cabs and corresponding equipment — and away from long-haul. "Four, five, six years ahead, we see that long haul will come down a little bit, actually. It has been at roughly half [of the U.S. market] or a bit more, 53% or so, and that will continue to go down to about 43%," predicts Koeck.

"Some of that is regionalization of distribution networks, and some is drivers wanting more home time; the driver shortage impacts it as well," he adds.

As to what effect the now-expanded Panama Canal will have on North American freight transportation, however, "it's still early to be seen," notes Koeck, and some are skeptical. Should more — and/or larger — ships come to U.S. Eastern Seaboard ports rather than West Coast ones, "that will impact transportation distances, and ultimately product offerings," he adds.

4. Construction will gain. The construction industry is a bright spot VTNA sees for trucking, and is targeting higher vocational sales as a result. "Construction spending will grow," Koeck says. "That we see now and in the coming years."

5. Bargain diesel likely means marginal near-term outlook for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and other alt fuels. "Eventually, diesel prices and oil prices will come up and [alternative fuels] will grow, but today CNG is about 2% overall in the U.S. [heavy trucking] market. We monitor that as well as anyone else, but we think that will remain flat for now," says Koeck.

6. Proprietary power and transmission installations also are gaining. Particularly now that OEMs have had to address their heavy duty engines' fuel efficiency as part of the last wave of GHG regulations, heavy trucks may see more vertical integration. VTNA has, according to Koeck. In 2008, the first year its I-Shift transmissions were built in North America, Volvo installed them in about 15% of new trucks. As of May 2016, the company says I-Shifts are now going into 88.8% of new trucks. Volvo engines, meanwhile, went into about 53% of new trucks in 2008, and Volvo power now goes into 94.5%.

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[kscarbel2]

Volvo Touts Fuel Efficiency, Driver Productivity of New Crawler-Gear Option on I-Shift AMTs for Off-Road Trucks

Transport Topics  /  June 29, 2016

Managers of Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) talked up the improved fuel efficiency and increased driver productivity of their new crawler-gear option on the I-Shift automated manual transmission designed for applications where very slow speeds are used.

Volvo hosted a ride-and-drive event for reporters and editors June 28 at its construction equipment facility here to demonstrate the capabilities of I-Shift with crawler gears on its VHD model vocational trucks.

The press “had an opportunity to experience some of the very first ones we’ve built,” Wade Long, director of product marketing for VTNA, said in an interview with Transport Topics. The transmission is available on Volvo’s new 2017 engines that will have to comply with the federal greenhouse-gas update effective Jan. 1. It will be available in November on Volvo’s D13 engine and in January with the D11 and D16 engines.

Volvo announced the I-Shift with crawler gears in March, saying the AMT would be “appropriate for both vocational and on-highway applications.” The new AMTs are intended for concrete mixers with curb-pouring capability, asphalt paving “and other low-speed tasks, as well as improved startability for heavy-haul,” the OEM said.

The AMT comes in two versions: 14 forward gears, including one low crawler and one ultra-low crawler; and 13 forward gears, including one low crawler. The 13-speed is typically used for highway and heavy-haul, while the 14-speed is for off-road, vocational applications such as mixers and dump trucks, Long said.
The event took place on the construction equipment demonstration area with a VHD off-road dump truck with the 14-speed, ultra-low crawler gear.

A benefit of crawler gears on vocationals, Long said, is improved fuel efficiency. “It allows us to speed up the rear-axle ratio.”

A typical dump truck, for example, would have a 3.73 or 3.90 rear-axle ratio so it could have “great startability,” but when it’s cruising down the highway at 60 to 65 mph, the engine would operate at 1,500 to 1,600 rpm, Long said.
With the ultra-low crawler gear, “we allow you to spec a very fast ratio — down in the 3.07 to 3.21 rear-axle ratio,” Long said. But while a truck is cruising down the highway at 65 mph, “you could be running in a sweet spot of the engine — about 1,350 rpm. “So every 100 rpm we slow down the truck, we save about 1.5% in fuel efficiency.”

“We are giving a vocational truck operation like a highway truck when it’s running down the highway,” Long said.

The other benefit is driver productivity, he said. The crawler gears allow a driver to pull up with heavy loads on steep grades and operate at “very, very slow speeds,” as low as 0.6 mph, he said. This is ideal for applications such as concrete mixers doing curb pouring, Long said.

Automated manuals do not require a clutch pedal for operation.

Volvo introduced AMTs in 2001 and brought them to North America in 2007, Long said. Today, about 88% of VTNA’s trucks use I-Shift.

As for cost, Long said automated manuals are more expensive than manual transmissions, due to electronics and other features. However, “in general, when we look at the driver productivity and the fuel-efficiency gains, we look at the total lifetime of product. That may be something that we can balance out a little bit when we look at a total cost of ownership.”

When asked about challenges in developing the I-Shift, he said that “the biggest challenge really was not the product. The mechanical design of the product worked very well.” Rather, “it was convincing the operators that the product can do all the start and stop, can shift correctly. “Drivers like to have the sense of control of the vehicle. They were the biggest resistance to moving the product into the marketplace.”

Ultimately, however, Long said that drivers feel “much more rested in a day. They’re not having to shift all the time.”

Class 8 trucks have a place for classic manual transmissions, fully automatic transmissions and automated manuals, Long said. For example, automatics currently are very good for trucks with frequent starts and stops, such as trash pickup, he said, but AMTs fulfill “a big portion of the application requirements” needed today.

[kscarbel2]

Volvo’s I-Shift with Crawler Gears Boosts Performance, Productivity

Heavy Duty Trucking  /  June 29, 2016

"Extreme startability" and low-rev cruising at highway speeds are the main advantages of a new crawler-gear option for Volvo Trucks’ I-Shift HD [aka. mDrive HD] automated manual transmission, demonstrated for customers and trade press reporters June 27-28.

One or two added ratios to the builder’s 12-speed I-Shift allows easy starting under heavy loads and on steep grades, said Wade Long, director of product marketing, who oversaw the event at the North American headquarters of Volvo Construction Equipment at Shippensburg, Pa.

The low-low ratios also allow very slow movement for special jobs like concrete and asphalt paving for mixer and dump trucks. With the “C-1” gear, a Volvo VHD with the 14-speed version of I-Shift crawled at 0.6 mph, compared to about 2 mph for a 12-speed gearbox.

“This lets us go after more vocational applications than we formerly could,” Long said. Extreme startability also allows use in tractors pulling extra-heavy combination vehicles, as the transmission will be approved for gross combination weights of up to 220,000 pounds, with prior application approval by Volvo engineers.

The I-Shift with Crawler Gears, as it’s formally designated, goes into production in October, and will be available in two versions:
• 14 forward gears, including one low crawler (19.38 ratio) and one ultra-low crawler (32.04 ratio) with an overall ratio of 41.08
• 13 forward gears, including one low crawler (17.54 ratio) with an overall ratio of 22.35

Thanks to overdrive top gears,  a Volvo truck “can go down the highway at 1,330 rpm at 70 mph” depending on axle ratio and tire and wheel size, said Magnus Koeck, vice president, marketing and brand management. This saves fuel, speeds trip times and boosts productivity.

Heavy-duty versions of the I-Shift, whether in 14-, 13- or 12-speed configurations, have gears and other hardware that have been hardened to withstand frequent shifting in rugged operating environments. The transmission received additional updates to improve shift performance and overall durability, including improved split synchronizer components, an updated engaging sleeve and main box parts fashioned from reinforced material, Volvo executives said.

A revised countershaft design helps enable faster shifting between gears, while new software enhancements – Volvo’s I-See predictive cruise control feature – can help improve fuel efficiency by learning and adapting to the road.

Although I-Shift penetration in highway applications reached 83% in May, only about 25% of construction-truck customers chose automated transmissions, Koeck said. The crawler-gear options are expected to increase that percentage.

[kscarbel2]

Volvo has stated that the upcoming revised (available mid-2017) D13 that will feature turbo compounding (D13TC) provides a 6.5% fuel efficiency improvement over 2014 D13 engine.

However, Volvo has yet to state how much more fuel efficient the D13TC will be over the revised D13 (available October 2016), which features common rail fuel injection, the new "wave" piston and new (lighter by 29lb) camshaft.

In all fairness, I have to acknowledge that Scania introduced turbo compounding some 25 years ago in 1991, and XPI extra-high pressure common rail fuel injection way back in 2007.

[kscarbel2]

Driving the Volvo VHD with I-Shift crawler gears

Truck News  /  July 4, 2016

Volvo’s crawler gears offer better control when even 1 mph is too fast

Sometimes, you just have to take it slow. Really slow. And in vocational applications where low-speed precision is required, the automated manual transmission (AMT) tends to be overlooked in favor of fully automatic Allisons or manual transmissions, which can allow greater low-speed control through clutch manipulation.

Volvo aims to change that, with the addition of two new crawler gears to its I-Shift AMT.

“This gets us into all the applications we haven’t been able to play in with an AMT,” said Wade Long, director, product marketing with Volvo Trucks North America, when introducing the new product to truck editors.

The new 14-speed I-Shift (aka. Mack mDrive HD 14-speed) with two crawler gears was demonstrated in several Volvo VHD 200 dump trucks at Volvo Construction Equipment’s sprawling customer center in Shippensburg, Pa. The facility boasts an off-road course with grades of up to 21%. The trucks were loaded with 26 tons of gravel. The crawler gears allow the truck to creep at speeds as low as 0.6 mph – even up and down that 21% grade – providing the operator with exceptional control of the vehicle.

It’s also an ideal fit for mixer applications, where crawler gears can be used to slowly and consistently pour cement, or chemical and livestock applications, where smoothness at low speeds is equally important.

Volvo also demonstrated the benefit of crawler gears in a paving application. Long said the new I-Shift offers better low-speed maneuverability and control while also offering efficient performance at highway speeds. This also makes it ideal for heavy-haul applications in the VNX, where loggers, for instance, may want the low-speed precision offered by the crawler gears while in the bush but also demand efficiency at highway speeds.

“With the VNX heavy-hauler, we’re bringing fuel efficiency to a market that’s just been focused on getting to the top of the hill first,” Long said, noting the new I-Shift offers great startability off-highway and lower cruise speeds on-highway.

The I-Shift is rated for gross combination weights of up to 220,000 lbs, and possibly more, with special permission.

Magnus Koeck, vice-president of marketing and brand management, predicted the addition of crawler gears will all but eliminate manual transmissions in vocational applications within five years.

“The I-Shift we have now with crawler gears can do all the work the customer needs,” he said. Already, 88.8% of all trucks Volvo sells in the North American market are being spec’d with the I-Shift.

I drove a VHD 200 with 500-hp D13 engine rated at 1,850 lb.-ft. of torque. The transmission shifted smoothly and the C1 and C2 crawler gears allowed me to easily and safely maneuver the truck in ultra-slow-mo. Other features of the I-Shift 12-speed have been carried over to the new 14-speed as well, including Hill Start Assist and Power Launch. I experienced Hill Start Assist by stopping the loaded truck halfway up the 21% grade and then removing my foot from the brake. The transmission held the truck in position, providing ample time to move my foot to the accelerator.

Power Launch helps the driver break free of mud or sand, by building up torque and then thrusting the truck out of whatever sticky situation it finds itself in. Collectively, Volvo feels these features offer vocational truck operators all the tools they need to do even the most demanding off-road vocational jobs with an AMT.

“This is going to open the door for a lot of applications,” said Volvo’s Ash Makki, who was my co-driver on the course. “A lot of our construction guys in the business are really excited.”

These trucks were also equipped with Volvo’s 2017 engines, marking the first time the revamped engines have been provided for test drives. The new D11 and D13 feature a new common rail fuel system, which is fully encased underneath the valve cover, where Long said it’s less susceptible to damage.

Also new is a patented wave piston, which Volvo claims allows for a more complete fuel burn and less soot accumulation.

“It improves flame propagation for increased efficiency and reduced soot,” Long explained. The six tabs along the rim of the piston force the fuel and oxygen to better circulate, providing a cleaner burn, Volvo claims, adding soot in the cylinder has been reduced by 90%.

Volvo says the engine enhancements will provide a 2.2% fuel economy improvement in the D11 and 2.5% in the D13, making them GHG17-ready. Power in the D11 has been boosted to 425 hp and a new assembled camshaft reduces weight by 27 lbs. Long said moving to the D11 from the D13 allows an operator to shave off 390 lbs and this is now viable, thanks to the extra power, in applications topping out at 80,000 lbs gross.

The D13 features the same improvements as its smaller sibling, as well as a 44-lb weight reduction in the block, which when combined with the lighter assembled cam, affords a 71-lb total weight savings. The D13 now has an extra 100 lb.-ft. of torque, allowing drivers to get up to road speed faster and maintain top gear longer. The new D11 goes into production in January 2017 while the D13 improvements will begin rolling off the production line in November of this year.

Also new, but not yet made available for test drives, is a D13 with turbo-compounding, which Volvo says will improve fuel economy by up to 6.5%. The turbo-compounding system collects previously wasted exhaust heat and converts it into 50 additional hp, which is then transferred back into the engine.

When spec’d with a 2.47 rear axle ratio and the XE powertrain package, Long said the new D13 with turbo-compounding will allow a driver to cruise down the highway at 1,050 rpm. The D13 with turbo-compounding will enter production in mid-2017.

[kscarbel2]

Volvo D13 turbo compound engine delivers up to 6.5% improvement in fuel efficiency

Green Car Congress  /  July 13, 2017

Volvo Trucks North America’s new VNL series delivers up to 7.5% improved fuel efficiency when spec’d with Volvo’s available D13 Turbo Compound engine (D13TC). (Earlier post.) Designed for customers with long-haul, steady-speed operations, the 13-liter Volvo D13TC utilizes turbo compounding technology that recovers energy typically wasted through the exhaust, converting it into useable mechanical energy that is transferred back to the engine.

By employing a secondary exhaust turbine downstream of the main turbocharger, the normally lost energy is routed to the flywheel, recovering as much as 50 hp and helping to improve fuel economy by up to 6.5% when compared with previous GHG14 D13 engine models.

Combined with an additional 1 percent fuel efficiency benefit from the improved aerodynamics of the new VNL series, customers spec’ing the D13TC will see up to a 7.5 percent improvement overall.

—Göran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North America

Customers are able to pair the D13TC with Volvo’s XE—eXceptional Efficiency—powertrain packages. XE packages rely on Volvo’s fully integrated I-Shift automated manual transmission to downspeed the engine, enabling a cruise rpm up to 300 rpm less than the average truck sold today, saving fuel.

The VNL series comes standard with the Volvo D13 engine, with the D13TC available as an option. Customers choosing Daycab and VNL 400 models also have the option of spec’ing the 11-liter Volvo D11 as an alternative. The 15-liter Cummins X15 is also available in the VNL series.

All three Volvo engines feature the patented wave piston, which employs a uniquely designed piston crown. The new wave piston increases compression ratio from 16:1 to 17:1, increasing efficiency. Improved flame propagation increases cylinder efficiency while at the same time reducing soot.

A proven common rail fuel injection system improves fuel efficiency by enabling finer control and more accurate fuel injection.

The engines also feature a revised EGR flow sensor with a new double-wall casing to reduce condensation and soot buildup in cold weather, preventing downtime.  An available two-speed coolant pump also contributes to improved fuel efficiency as a result of reduced parasitic losses. The new intake throttle enables a faster warmup when the engine is started.

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[james j neiweem]

Volvo pushing into the construction market can only hurt Mack even further, especially when the Volvo/ Mack dealerships push Volvos. Once they get a firm foothold in the construction industry they may kick Mack to the curb. Watch out if Volvo ever builds a COE for the refuse industry. That would further hurt Mack. The Volvo agreement where they had to sell Autocar can't go on forever.

[RoadwayR]

Volvo is starting to look like White did in 1979.

[kscarbel2]

7 hours ago, james j neiweem said:

Volvo pushing into the construction market can only hurt Mack even further, especially when the Volvo/ Mack dealerships push Volvos. Once they get a firm foothold in the construction industry they may kick Mack to the curb. Watch out if Volvo ever builds a COE for the refuse industry. That would further hurt Mack. The Volvo agreement where they had to sell Autocar can't go on forever.

Volvo FE Low Entry Cab (LEC)

[TS7]

Volvo already builds a COE, its called the MRU. They own Mack. Why would they sell the Mack brand. 

[james j neiweem]

Volvo COE not available here in the USA. Not yet.