Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/240655
INSIDE VOLVO C onsidered unique among North American truck makers, Volvo offers customers a variety of alternative fuel options allowing them to choose the right solution for their fleet. The promise behind Volvo's Blue Power strategy sets the global stage for a new era of fuel options including the most viable, sustainable diesel replacements. In announcing the Blue Power strategy last year, Volvo revealed plans to launch its own 13-liter liquefied natural gas engine for North America as a supplement to its line-up of compressed natural gas trucks powered by Cummins engines. And this summer, Volvo became the first manufacturer to announce plans to commercialize dimethyl ether-powered heavy-duty commercial vehicles in North America. Volvo revealed its ongoing U.S. customer field-testing of trucks powered by DME and demonstrated the technology after a June announcement at the California State Capitol. DME is a clean, simple, nontoxic colorless gas that can be liquefied under moderate pressure and can be produced from a wide variety of feedstock, including natural gas, coal, pulp and paper mill waste, forest products, agricultural by-products, municipal waste and dedicated fuel crops such as switch-grass. When produced from biomass or biogas, DME can provide up to a 95 percent carbon dioxide reduction compared with diesel. Indeed, Volvo is well prepared to offer whatever alternative fuel solutions the markets dictate, says Göran Nyberg, president of sales and marketing for Volvo Trucks in North America. "We all care about the environment, and at Volvo, we accept our responsibility to be part of the truck solution," says Nyberg, noting that such care became a Volvo core value nearly 30 years ago. "As environmental stewards, we have extended our commitment to the exploration of alternative fuels." While most customers say the main benefit of using alternative fuels such as CNG and LNG is the potential fuel cost savings and increased profitability, they also say there are additional benefits to their operation," says Volvo's Director 22 DRIVER 'S DIGEST #1/2014 of Customer Engineering Ivan Mitchell who heads up a team of 50 at Volvo's New River Valley manufacturing plant in Dublin, Virginia. "Customer feedback indicates fleets enjoy the positive image that comes from associating their operation with a more environmentallyfriendly fuel. Fleets report an increase in customers requesting freight hauled with natural gas solutions," Mitchell says. They also say they get a positive response from drivers who like the quietness of the engine and the reduced maintenance requirements as compared to a diesel engine. "With the CNG installation, there is only a three-way catalyst. No diesel particulate filter (DPF) or selective catalytic reduction (SCR) required and the engine is already EPA certified," Mitchell adds. Although there is excitement over the introduction of the new DME engine technology, CNG continues to be be the vanguard of the recent increased interest in alternative fuels. Mitchell says the relationship between Volvo and Cummins is a strong one and has been central to Volvo's ability to define the agenda in terms of CNG adoption. "We worked closely with Cummins and developed the design for the engine package both for the 9-liter and 12-liter engines, which we use in our VNM and VNL products, respectively. It's not as simple as taking a diesel engine out and replacing it with a natural gas engine — I wish it were that easy. We had to adapt this to our current vehicle envelope and cooling systems as well as the electrical systems and instrumentation: we had to design a means of measuring fluid levels in the natural gas storage system, for example." Mitchell also points to the need to not just be able to produce a class-leading product, but PHOTO: DENNIS K ALE