Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/153582
THE DRIVING CHALLENGE Text Nic Townsend Illustration Erickton Fuel-efficient Hill Climbs When it comes to driving a truck up a hill, technique is everything. How you drive can make a big difference to fuel efficiency. "Drivers have a tendency to try to increase speed while climbing a hill, which is very inefficient," says Scott Sokach, manager of driver training and development for Volvo Trucks Academy. "Trying to race up the hill requires a lot more fuel, and in most cases it only saves you a few seconds up the climb. The key to efficient climbing is to maintain a steady speed, stay in the highest gear possible using the low end torque of the Volvo engine, and finally managing the momentum of the truck to push you over the 1 top of the hill and down the other side." The key to momentum management is to build speed before you reach the hill to help you up the climb. Then, as you descend, allow gravity and the weight of the truck to propel you back up to speed. "The goal is to turn the hill into a flat line," Sokach adds. "Of course you will use more fuel driving uphill compared to driving on flat roads. You can make up for that extra fuel by taking advantage of the downhill terrain by staying off the throttle and letting gravity and the weight of the truck bring you back up to speed. This way you won't burn fuel unnecessarily. You want to cover the same amount of distance using the least amount of fuel possible, while also achieving an efficient speed." For more information on momentum management and fuel-efficient driving techniques, register for Volvo Trucks Driver Development online courses. To gain access to the site, email Volvo Trucks Academy at academy-help@volvo.com. B E N E F ITS Fuel Economy Uptime Safety Anticipation Climbing a hill requires more power, which burns more fuel. To help reduce fuel consumption on a climb, use the momentum of the truck to your advantage. Pick up speed on the flat before you reach the hill. Use the speed and momentum of the truck to help propel you up and over the hill. 2 18 Avoid downshifts Once you begin climbing the hill, use the highest gear possible to use your engine to full efficiency. Try to maintain your speed while climbing, but avoid accelerating. Be sure to use the full torque range of your engine before making a downshift. Downshifting too soon will burn more fuel with unnecessarily high RPM. If your truck is equipped with IShift, you can use the M-position of the shifter to hold your current gear if you believe you can reach the top of the hill without a downshift. DRIVER 'S DIGEST #2/2013 VTM_2_13_US_en.indb 16 DDQ213PG010-19_30-31_Common Pages.indd 18 2013-08-13 11:04 8/13/13 8:54 AM VTM_2_13