Volvo Shows Off SuperTruck Entry to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz

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Transport Topics  /  September 13, 2016

Volvo Trucks North America unveiled its version of SuperTruck for inspection here by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz on Sept. 13, saying its VNL 670 highway tractor demonstrates an 88% gain in freight efficiency and an extra 70% in fuel efficiency.

On the same day that VTNA showed off its results from SuperTruck Phase 1, the original equipment manufacturer also said it has been selected to receive another $20 million for Phase 2 of the Department of Energy research program. DOE spends the money, which must be matched dollar-for-dollar by OEMs, to develop heavy-duty trucks that are more fuel efficient, thereby conserving energy and reducing diesel emissions.

“I’m very excited about this SuperTruck initiative. . . It’s important for the United States, but this is drawing international attention as well,” said Moniz, who has been secretary since May 2013.
Moniz, who knew that 81% of U.S. freight, as measured by revenue, travels on trucks, said doubling fuel efficiency “is a big deal.”

He said the most complex systems, such as waste-heat recovery, “are going to take longer to be part of the commercial offerings. But we want to see these technologies entering, not as, like, one SuperTruck from any of the vendors, but as a set of technology lessons incorporated with time as the costs come down.”

VTNA President Göran Nyberg led Moniz on the inspection tour, along with several of the OEM's engineers.

“This is a knowledge accelerator,” Nyberg said of SuperTruck at a press briefing prior to the DOE event. He said the research produced a 6.5% increase in fuel efficiency through powertrain optimization and an additional 3.5% gain through better aerodynamics.
Using a 2009 Volvo as a baseline, miles per gallon rose to 12, on average, from 7 mpg. By changing some steel components to aluminum and introducing carbon-fiber materials, the Volvo SuperTruck dropped 3,200 pounds in net weight, helping to increase fuel efficiency — ton-miles traveled per gallon of fuel used — by 88% over the 2009 baseline.

While SuperTruck 1 focused on linehaul applications, Phase 2 will offer more for regional applications, VTNA Senior Vice President Susan Alt said.
The DOE grant to Volvo, which must be funded by Congress to become official, calls for the company to increase fuel efficiency by using alternative engine designs and lightweight tractor-trailers. Volvo must match the $20 million it gets from DOE.

The OEM will work with truckload carrier Knight Transportation and grocery chain Wegman’s Food Markets to test new systems for SuperTruck 2.

The research program coincides with federal regulation of greenhouse-gas emissions of heavy- and medium-duty trucks by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Nyberg said VTNA’s 2017 powertrains, which comply with Phase 1 of GHG rules, include several components that were developed as part of SuperTruck 1, specifically, wave pistons that minimize unburned fuel; a common-rail, fuel-injection system; and turbo compounding, an elementary form of waste-heat recovery.

In August, EPA and NHTSA released their final version of Phase 2 of GHG regulation, a rule that will tighten emission standards on trucks in 2021, 2024 and 2027. More technology developed in SuperTruck 1 and 2 will help the manufacturer meet those standards, Nyberg said, but he declined to specify which innovations are closest to introduction. “There’s enough meat on this,” Nyberg said of the research results.

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[kscarbel2]

Volvo’s SuperTruck Exceeds EPA Freight Efficiency Goals

Heavy Duty Trucking  /  September 13, 2016

Volvo Trucks North America’s SuperTruck demonstration rig combined advanced aerodynamics, vehicle and powertrain technologies to achieve a freight efficiency improvement of 88%, exceeding the 50% improvement goal set by the U.S. Department of Energy SuperTruck program compared to a base model 2009 Volvo VN.

From the top-of-cab solar panels powering its battery and interior lights, to its ultra-light aluminum frame and highly advanced 425 horsepower 11-liter proprietary engine, the SuperTruck concept vehicle allowed Volvo engineers to push the boundaries of heavy truck efficiency. The sleek tractor-trailer combination boosted fuel efficiency by 70%, exceeding 12 mpg consistently in testing, with some test runs showing more than 13 mpg. Powertrain brake thermal efficiency reached 50%.

Göran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North America, noted that the base model Volvo in 2009 averaged 7 mpg.

The SuperTruck program was a five-year DOE research and development initiative to improve freight efficiency – meaning more payload carried while burning less fuel – by 50% compared to 2009 base model trucks.

Volvo’s aerodynamic SuperTruck has a shorter front end than conventional trucks on the road today, and the hood has a sharper downward slope. Lightweight fairings run the length of the tractor and trailer, and cameras have replaced rearview mirrors. Its redesigned chassis is made almost entirely of aluminum, which halved the chassis weight and contributed to an overall tractor-trailer weight reduction of 3,200 pounds.

An enhanced version of Volvo’s I-See, a new feature that memorizes thousands of routes traveled and uses that knowledge to optimize cruise speed and keep the I-shift automated manual transmission in the most fuel-efficient gear possible, was an integral part of the fuel efficiency gains seen during SuperTruck on-road testing.

A key part of the overall efficiency gain is the downsized 11-liter Volvo engine, featuring advanced fuel injection, cooling, oil and turbo-charging systems, as well as new “wave” pistons and other improvements. The SuperTruck powertrain includes a complex Rankine waste-heat recovery system, which converts heat normally wasted in exhaust into torque, boosting fuel economy by helping to power the vehicle.

“The order of magnitude efficiency leap achieved by our SuperTruck is a testament to the outstanding work done by our team and our partners,” said Pascal Amar, principal investigator for the project. “We started by rethinking everything, and we discovered that with every layer you peel back, you uncover new opportunities.”

While not every technology demonstrated in the Volvo SuperTruck will be commercialized, three of the engine advancements developed through SuperTruck research – the wave piston, turbo compounding system and common rail fuel injection system – are already featured in Volvo Trucks’ 2017 engine line-up. Likewise, a number of SuperTruck-derived aerodynamic improvements – like flared chassis fairings improving air flow around the drive wheels, a redesigned bumper and turbulence-reducing deflectors – can be found on today’s Volvo VNL tractors.

Volvo used computer-aided engineering to reimagine nearly every part of the tractor and trailer without costly prototyping. While the VNL “body in white” was mostly maintained in order to save time and ensure structural integrity, everything else – including the front end, the cab exterior pieces, the chassis fairing and the roof – were completely redesigned to maximize the aerodynamics of the tractor-trailer combination.

Not every idea made it to the concept vehicle. Working with suppliers and academic partners, the team explored the performance and safety of a number of lightweight materials. While some of these, like recycled carbon fiber, were not used in the SuperTruck, the knowledge gained in material science will be applied to future programs.

The DOE recently selected the Volvo Group to participate in DOE’s SuperTruck II program, which will target a 100% improvement on a ton-mile-per-gallon basis, and a powertrain capable of 55% brake thermal efficiency.

Watch for a more detailed report from HDT Equipment Editor Jim Park, who was there for the unveiling of the SuperTruck in Washington, D.C.

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[kscarbel2]

Volvo SuperTruck achieves at least 12 mpg

Today’s Trucking  /  September 13, 2016

Volvo Trucks has unveiled its truck of the future, and it’s already applying many of the underlying lessons on the trucks of today.

The SuperTruck – developed through a five-year research project with the U.S. Department of Energy – boasts an astounding 12 miles per gallon (19.6 liters per 100 kilometers). After a few tweaks to the design, company engineers have even seen it exceed 13 miles per gallon (18 liters per 100 kilometers) in selected tests.

Compared to a 2009 Volvo VNL tractor, the new design is 3,200 pounds lighter, produces 40% less drag, and boosts freight efficiency by 88%. The latter measure reflects the tons of freight that are moved to the fuel that is burned. The project’s original goal was to improve the freight efficiency by 50%.

“That is a big number that we did not anticipate when we started the project,” says Pascal Amar, senior project manager, Volvo Group North America.

But rather than building a concept vehicle alone, Volvo says it focused on making changes that could come to the market in the short term. Unlike SuperTrucks from other manufacturers, this one did not rely on hybridization. Costly carbon fiber materials were shelved as well.

“We looked at the SuperTruck project as kind of a knowledge accelerator,” says Goran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North America.

That means bringing new technology to the marketplace more quickly. The engine’s wave piston, turbo compounding, and common rail fuel injection systems have already been introduced in the company’s 2017 engine lineup, boosting fuel efficiency by up to 6.5% in the process. Flared chassis fairings, a redesigned bumper, and air deflectors have also been incorporated into Volvo VNL tractors now on the market, improving their fuel efficiency by up to 3.5%.

Of course, the SuperTruck also offers insights into technology to come. Cameras, for example, have replaced mirrors in the search for better air flow. One of the most prominent of the futuristic features is a Rankine waste heat recovery system, mounted above the transmission and in front of the battery box. That achieves a 50% brake thermal efficiency, which means half the energy in the fuel actually makes it to a dyno.

Inside the cab, hotel loads are powered using a solar panel incorporated into the roof line, and a pair of belt-driven alternators that captures kinetic energy as a truck rolls down the road. “We trickle charge the batteries when the truck is driving,” Amar says. Together, they offer 14 hours of power for things like air conditioning. And while the reshaped roofline and solar panel eliminates the skylight, the space inside the cab is now lit with a virtual skylight that’s powered with LEDs.

The truck’s shape itself is also decidedly futuristic. “You don’t get 40% less drag with just a few fairings,” Amar explained. The truck builds around a traditional VNL steel cab, but sits three inches taller and moves forward eight inches, ensuring a straighter flow of air up the front of the truck. A wider back wall also creates a wedge that directs air around the tractor and to the back of the trailer. Meanwhile, the trailer itself includes a boat tail, side skirts, and reshaped front end.

By mounting the air conditioner’s condenser at the back of the cab, engineers were also able to introduce a smaller grill at the front of the truck.

Other gains were realized by “right-sizing” the engine, and opting for a 425-horsepower D11. “You operate the engine where it’s efficient, in the sweet spot,” Amar says, referring to the change that can be made without sacrificing performance.

Meeting and exceeding targeted weight savings (the original goal was to be 40% lighter, but the SuperTruck weighs 45% less) was made possible in part with an aluminum frame that is 900 pounds lighter than its predecessor. The weight savings were also realized despite new technologies that were added to the truck. About 4,700 pounds were removed, but 1,500 pounds had to be added.

Still, there were some curves to address along the way, and not simply in the form of reshaped fairings.

“The interactions between the trailer and tractor were much more complex than we thought,” Amar says, referring to how that led engineers to abandon plans for a lower front bumper. Fuel cells to power the hotel loads were replaced with the system that uses solar panels and captures kinetic energy. Plans for an adjustable fifth wheel were abandoned altogether because they simply wouldn’t generate the expected returns. And while carbon fiber was researched, it was left to future projects.

“When a truck becomes this much more efficient, this much more aerodynamic, a lot of assumptions need to be revisited,” he added. The idea of capturing a truck’s kinetic energy, for example, could be at odds with systems like predictive cruise control that are also designed for fuel economy. “Do you disengage the driveline and coast, or do you charge the batteries?”

Engineers have little time to rest in the search for answers to questions like that. Volvo is among manufacturers that will also participate in the second phase of the research known as SuperTruck II, leveraging US $20 million in federal funds with the goal of doubling ton miles per gallon when compared to the 2009 baseline, and creating a powertrain with a brake thermal efficiency of 55%.

 “We will make sure that this program will be successful and we will bring more value to our end users,” Nyberg says.

Partners in the project include Michelin Americas Research Company (tires), Wabash National (trailer), Metalsa (lightweight frame), Johnson-Matthey Inc. (exhaust aftertreatment system catalysts), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (exhaust aftertreatment system testing / analysis), Peloton Technology (connected vehicle / platooning), Pennsylvania State University (connected vehicle testing), Knight Transportation (long-haul fleet), and Wegmans Food Markets (regional-haul fleet).

 “We have a lot of ideas we want to throw at SuperTruck II,” said a clearly excited Amar. “We generated so much more innovation through the project. It just keeps going.”

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[kscarbel2]

Overdrive  /  September 13, 2016

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Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ)  /  September 13, 2016

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Volvo hits 13 mpg with SuperTruck

Truck News  /  September 13, 2016

Truck maker exceeded goal to improve freight efficiency by 50%

Many of the improvements built into the newest Volvo trucks and powertrain can be traced back to the US Department of Energy’s US$20-million SuperTruck project. Volvo made the revelation when it took the wraps off its SuperTruck at a press event this morning in Washington, D.C.

“Knowledge gained from the SuperTruck product is benefiting our customers today,” said Goran Nyberg, president, Volvo Trucks North America.

Examples of enhancements that were developed on the SuperTruck and carried over to Volvo’s production vehicles include: a new aerodynamic bumper; flared chassis fairings on the VN 630 and 670; and an aerodynamically enhanced roof for the 670. Airflow through the engine compartment has also been optimized.

As for the powertrain, Volvo’s new patented wave piston design was validated on the SuperTruck, as well as its new common rail fuel injection system and turbo-compounding, which Volvo is rolling out on its D13.

The US Department of Energy gave Volvo $20 million to work with and the truck maker matched the funding, and then some. The goal was to improve freight efficiency by 50%, but Volvo exceeded that, bettering it by 88%. It also reduced vehicle weight compared to a 2009 model year VN by more than 3,000 lbs, reduced drag by 40% and improved fuel economy by 70%. Nyberg said testing routinely showed the SuperTruck achieving more than 12 mpg while loaded and with some additional tinkering it has now surpassed 13 mpg.

“We thought we had a tough goal of 50% improvement when we started the project but the project has delivered 88%, which is quite impressive,” Nyberg said at the unveiling.

Volvo has secured an additional $20 million in funding for its SuperTruck II project, which targets a 100% freight efficiency improvement compared to that same 2009 baseline. However, Nyberg explained the second project requires truck makers to demonstrate a one- to two-year payback on technologies used to get there, so it will have to eliminate some of the costlier systems that were deployed on the first SuperTruck.

Pascal Amar, senior project manager with Volvo Group North America, was in charge of overseeing the first SuperTruck project.

“SuperTruck was a chance to look into the future as a truck manufacturer,” he said. “It gave us the possibility to look at what was coming and really start analyzing some of these trends we’re picking up on.”

Amar said the project began from the rear, with an analysis of the trailer and how the tractor interacts with it. Volvo chose to work with an existing trailer design rather than something more futuristic such as a teardrop-shaped trailer.

“We didn’t want to go too crazy and design something that wouldn’t be realistic,” he noted.

Volvo worked with Ridge Corp. to design an aerodynamic gap fairing, side skirts and tail fairing.

“Once we had the most aerodynamic trailer we could find, we went on to what that meant for the tractor,” Amar explained.

A lesson learned along the way was that the relationship between the tractor and trailer was more complex than first thought.

“We found things that we thought would help the tractor be more aerodynamic but they would only help if the trailer was a certain way,” Amar explained, citing a lower front bumper fairing as one example that didn’t pan out.

Volvo maintained its existing steel cab structure, but repositioned it. The cab sits about three inches higher and eight inches further forward and has a shorter hood. The rear cab wall was widened to better direct air around the trailer. The front grille was rounded slightly, the bumper made curvier.

With truck aerodynamics addressed, changes to the powertrain were required. The sleeker truck sliced through the wind more easily and as a result, required less power to push it down the road. Volvo opted for a D11 engine.

“It’s really about right-sizing the powertrain,” Amar said. “Picking the size of engine that is just right for this truck so we can operate the engine where it’s efficient in the sweet spot.”

The Volvo powertrain achieved 50% brake thermal efficiency, compared to the baseline of about 42%, meaning about 50% of the fuel used is now converted to usable power.

Weight was reduced through the use of lighter-weight materials. The aluminum frame, for example, is 45% lighter than the 2009 production steel frame. But designers didn’t just swap out steel for aluminum, Amar stressed.

“The novelty is in how they used the material,” he said. “They designed the frame to take advantage of the properties of aluminum.”

The frame alone shaved 900 lbs out of the vehicle. A total of about 4,700 lbs was taken out, but the installation of new technologies put back about 1,500 lbs, resulting in a net weight savings of 3,200 lbs. While carbon fiber is known for its lightweight characteristics, it’s also known for its high price tag. Volvo sought alternative materials that were less expensive than carbon fiber.

The company also considered the driver. It designed a fully-integrated hotel load power system that provides temperature control and power for 14 hours without idling or depleting the batteries. Volvo studied telematics-derived data to see how its trucks are being operated over the road and tailored its system to reflect these realities. Two belt-driven alternators engage when the truck is travelling downhill, is accelerating and slowing down and use this energy to keep the batteries fully charged throughout the drive cycle. When the driver stops, a full 14 hours of power and climate control are available.

The bunk windows were scrapped, because Volvo found they were a source of heat or chill loss. But a solar panel on the roof powers LED lights inside the cab that give the appearance of natural daylight. A hot air extractor on the roof also spits out hot air from inside the cab, keeping the inside temperature comfortable.

The SuperTruck was shown to US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who seemed genuinely impressed by the result. But despite exceeding the goals laid out through the project, Amar said Volvo isn’t calling it a day.

“Testing hasn’t stopped,” Amar said. “Our contract with SuperTruck 1 ended in June, but we haven’t stopped working on it. We keep finding new improvements and keep testing things. We have a lot of ideas we want to throw at it for SuperTruck II.”

The second SuperTruck project will build on lessons learned during the first project, but will result in a completely new truck. And because all technologies used must demonstrate a quick payback, it’s likely the second project will also see improvements carried over to production trucks.

[kscarbel2]

Volvo’s High-Tech SuperTruck Exceeds Program’s Freight Efficiency Goals

Volvo Group Press Release  /  September 13, 2016

Volvo Trucks North America today unveiled an innovative SuperTruck demonstrator whose combination of advanced aerodynamics, vehicle and powertrain technologies achieved a freight efficiency improvement of 88 percent – exceeding the 50 percent improvement goal set by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program.

From the top-of-cab solar panels powering its battery and interior lights, to its ultra-light aluminum frame and highly advanced 425 horsepower 11-liter proprietary engine, the SuperTruck concept vehicle allowed Volvo engineers to push the boundaries of heavy truck efficiency.  The sleek tractor-trailer combination boosted fuel efficiency by 70 percent – exceeding 12 miles per gallon, with some test runs showing more than 13 miles per gallon – in road tests, and powertrain brake thermal efficiency reached 50 percent.

"With the support of DOE's SuperTruck program, Volvo Trucks has presented an exciting vision of trucking's future," said Göran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North America.  "Even more impressive is the fact that these tremendous gains were made against a base model Volvo that already in 2009 averaged 7 miles per gallon."

The SuperTruck program was a five-year DOE research and development initiative to improve freight efficiency – meaning more payload carried while burning less fuel – by 50 percent compared to 2009 base model trucks. The DOE recently selected the Volvo Group to participate in DOE's SuperTruck II program, which will target a 100 percent improvement on a ton-mile-per-gallon basis, and a powertrain capable of 55 percent brake thermal efficiency.

Volvo's aerodynamic SuperTruck has a shorter front end than conventional trucks on the road today, and the hood has a sharper downward slope.  Lightweight fairings run the length of the tractor and trailer, and cameras have replaced rearview mirrors.  Its redesigned chassis is made almost entirely of aluminum, which halved the chassis weight and contributed to an overall tractor-trailer weight reduction of 3,200 pounds.

An enhanced version of Volvo's I-See, a new feature that memorizes thousands of routes traveled and uses that knowledge to optimize cruise speed and keep the I-shift automated manual transmission in the most fuel-efficient gear possible, was an integral part of the fuel efficiency gains seen during SuperTruck on-road testing.

A key part of the overall efficiency gain is the downsized 11-liter Volvo engine, featuring advanced fuel injection, cooling, oil and turbo-charging systems, as well as new "wave" pistons and other improvements. The SuperTruck powertrain includes a complex Rankine waste-heat recovery system, which converts heat normally wasted in exhaust into torque, boosting fuel economy by helping to power the vehicle.

"The order of magnitude efficiency leap achieved by our SuperTruck is a testament to the outstanding work done by our team and our partners," said Pascal Amar, principal investigator for the project. "We started by rethinking everything, and we discovered that with every layer you peel back, you uncover new opportunities."

While not every technology demonstrated in the Volvo SuperTruck will be commercialized, three of the engine advancements developed through SuperTruck research – the wave piston, turbo compounding system and common rail fuel injection system – are already featured in Volvo Trucks' 2017 engine line-up. Likewise, a number of SuperTruck-derived aerodynamic improvements – like flared chassis fairings improving air flow around the drive wheels, a redesigned bumper and turbulence-reducing deflectors – can be found on today's Volvo VNL tractors.

"Our work through this program is paying dividends for today's customers through the SuperTruck innovations we've already integrated into our products," said Nyberg.

Not every idea made it to the concept vehicle. Working with suppliers and academic partners, the team explored the performance and safety of a number of lightweight materials. While some of these, like recycled carbon fiber, were not used in the SuperTruck, the knowledge gained in material science will be applied to future programs.

Volvo used computer-aided engineering to reimagine nearly every part of the tractor and trailer without costly prototyping. While the VNL "body in white" was mostly maintained in order to save time and ensure structural integrity, everything else – including the front end, the cab exterior pieces, the chassis fairing and the roof – were completely redesigned to maximize the aerodynamics of the tractor-trailer combination.

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[TeamsterGrrrl]

Problem is, they're wasting their time on an undersized 80k pound truck with only a 53 foot trailer. To get real ton/mile efficiency, they need to allow the biggest and heaviest combination that the roads can accommodate.

[BC Mack]

would be interesting to see what they could do for Canuck efficiency if they came up to our super B weight of 140,000lb or the LCV's cube... if they could even came up with 0.5mpg improvement then our ton/cube/mile ratio could reap some payback.

BC Mack

[Dirtymilkman]

That guy has some Rockstar hair. Holy crap. 

[TeamsterGrrrl]

While Volvo's effort sounds impressive, consider for a moment that Scania's last generation cabover was getting 10 MPG at 40 metric tons weight, 10% heavier than this Volvo is even designed for. Scania's cabover, even with sleeper, is about 10 feet shorter, so in the same overall length Scania's now superseded truck can carry around 20% more freight than this Volvo experimental truck while getting similar MPG. Wonder how many decades it will take for Volvo to catch up? 

[james j neiweem]

Super ugly

[kscarbel2]

Making a SuperTruck: So that's how they did it

Fleet Owner  /  September 18, 2016

Slide Show - http://fleetowner.com/technology/making-supertruck-so-thats-how-they-did-it#slide-0-field_images-200951

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Today’s Trucking  /  October 27, 2016

It's amazing what $40 million will buy you these days. If that seems like a lot to spend on just one truck, consider what the OEMs typically spend on R&D for a new model, or even just a significant upgrade. The $40 million Volvo Trucks spent on its SuperTruck project was an investment in near- and distant-future truck technology that will begin paying dividends for the truck maker and its customers as early as 2017.

Today's Trucking was at the Washington D.C. unveiling in September when Volvo presented the truck to the press and the public for the first time. Equipment Editor filed this video report from the scene.

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