Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/240655
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine for North America The engine's advanced highpressure diesel ignition technology will provide significant fuel efficiency gains compared with current natural gas products. Combined with the company's previously announced offering of compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered Volvo VNM and VNL model daycabs, the new engine will provide customers with a complete range of natural gas-powered transportation solutions. Volvo currently offers VNM and VNL daycabs powered by sparkignited gas engines, and VNL daycabs equipped with Volvo's proprietary D13-LNG compression ignition engine will be available in the future. LNG for the Demanding Long Haul Through advanced high pressure diesel ignition technology – using trace amounts of diesel to ignite the natural gas – Volvo's LNG engine will deliver a 30 percent fuel efficiency improvement compared with spark-ignition (SI) engines, making it a viable alternative for demanding long-haul applications. The Volvo 13-liter LNG engine will also reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by about 20 percent compared with current diesel products. The engine will accomplish these savings without sacrificing power, torque or fuel efficiency, all of which are critical attributes for on-highway operations. The Volvo Group was one of the largest suppliers of 13-liter heavy-duty engines to the combined U.S. and Canadian markets last year, and the same vertically integrated approach that has made Volvo a global powertrain leader is being applied to the development of the new engine. Customers will be able to specify the proprietary Volvo I-Shift automated manual transmission. DRIVER 'S DIGEST #1/2014 7