Volvo trucks’ flagship celebrates with 750 hp

Volvo Trucks announce that the Volvo FH16 is now available at 750hp and 3550Nm to handle the heaviest and most demanding transport assignments – with production planned to coincide with the 16-litre engine’s 25th anniversary next year.

1987 saw the introduction of the Volvo F16 with Volvo’s first-ever 16-litre engine, producing 470hp. Since then, market needs have driven the development towards increasingly powerful trucks.


“With the Volvo FH16-750 we can offer our customers a truck with absolute top performance, good fuel efficiency and extremely low emissions. It’s an uncompromising combination for the heaviest and most demanding of transport operations,” says Staffan Jufors, President and CEO of Volvo Trucks.

Performance, fuel efficiency and environment
The new engine is based on the same technology as Volvo Trucks’ current 16-litre 700hp diesel engine – an in-line six with overhead camshaft, four valves per cylinder and unit injectors. It has been optimised for higher power and torque, but fuel consumption is unchanged. The 750hp engine is available in two versions, one for Euro-5 and the other for EEV (Enhanced Environmentally-friendly Vehicle), giving even lower particle emissions and less smoke.

The Volvo I-Shift automated gear changing system is fitted as standard and has been modified to handle the engine’s high torque. The rear axle range encompasses axles for gross combination weights of up to 250 tonnes. For fast long-haul duties, the recently introduced RS1360 solo axle is a fuel-efficient alternative.

Driveability and productivity
The new 750hp engine produces 2800 Nm of torque at 900 revs/minute. After this the torque curve rises sharply and reaches its peak level of 3550Nm at 1050 revs/minute, then levels out to 1400 revs/minute. This makes it possible to maintain a high speed on even the toughest uphill climbs.

“The more power you have at your disposal at low revs when starting to haul a heavy load, the less strain on the engine and the more fuel-efficient your progress. This in turn results in superb drivability,” says Hayder Wokil, product manager at Volvo Trucks.

The Volvo FH16-750 is intended both for truly heavy transport duties and for assignments that demand high average speed running on hilly or very undulating roads.

“For most FH16 customers, the focus is on transporting as many tonnes as possible in the shortest possible time. However, many customers also need to quickly transport high-value goods and fresh products across long distances with varying topography and deliver just-in-time,” explains Wokil.

Heavier transport – more powerful trucks
There has long been a trend towards increasingly heavy transport and thus also a greater need for more powerful trucks. Since the introduction of the Volvo F16 in 1987 and the first-generation 16-litre engine producing 470hp, power levels have risen step by step in pace with market and customer needs. In 1993 power rose to 520hp and ten years later an all-new engine arrived, producing 610hp. In 2009 Volvo was the first manufacturer to reach 700hp - and now it is time for the next step – the Volvo FH16 with 750hp.

Production of the first Volvo FH16 trucks for the European market with the higher power output will get under way at the beginning of 2012.

In addition to the 750hp version, Volvo’s 16-litre engine is also available with power outputs of 540, 600 and 700hp.

| Volvo

New Citroen Tubik: the A-Team van for the future

With the launch of its Mulicity portal, CITROËN established itself as a facilitator of mobility. Today, continuing its research in this field, it is exploring a new area. Drawing upon its expertise and the best “Créative Technologie”, CITROËN has developed Tubik, a high-tech executive shuttle based on one key idea: travel should be fun. Come with us on a shared, intelligent, connected and eco-friendly journey!



Today, it is journey time rather than distance that is important. In the modern world, information travels faster than people, the same journey can be made using a multitude of different means of transport, and consumers are looking first and foremost for an easy way of getting around. In consequence, the challenge for vehicle manufacturers is to develop solutions tailored to the mobility issues of the future. The Multicity project is the result of studies carried out by CITROËN on mobility. This project is already a reality with the launch in France of CITROËN Multicity, an online portal and routefinder that covers all available means of transport (car, train, plane, etc.) to make travelling easier.

Citroën Tubik

Today, the Multicity project is moving into its next phase with a new solution: Tubik, a concept car designed to make travel meaningful again.







| Citroën | Images gallery

Next issue of Volvo trucks’ tablet magazine now available

A new issue of Volvo Trucks’ tablet magazine - which was successfully launched in the beginning of the year - is now available to download.



This issue includes exciting news items on Volvo Trucks' environmental work. Through videos and articles, visitors will also learn more about how Volvo Trucks' safety solution helps truck drivers with blindspotting and how smartphones can be used to improve efficiency and ensure the quality of the company's aftersales services. They will also get the chance to meet Oliver Splingart who transports live fish in his Volvo FH16 between fish farms throughout Europe, a sophisticated task which place special demands on both the truck and the driver.



The new issue of Volvo Trucks Magazine can be downloaded free of charge. iPad users can access the magazine from the App Store, while Android users can get it from the Marketplace.



| Volvo

Volvo developing a plug-in hybrid bus

Volvo Buses is currently developing a plug-in hybrid bus that can drive long distances silently and exhaust-free on only electricity. Three buses will be tested in Gothenburg, Sweden, supported by the European Union.



Volvo currently has the world’s most efficient hybrid solution for buses and trucks. Volvo Buses has sold more than 250 hybrid buses, which are reducing fuel consumption by up to 35% and thus also reducing energy consumption and carbon-dioxide emissions by an equal amount.





“Reducing the total global energy consumption is the most important measure today and in the future,” says Volvo Buses CEO Håkan Karlsson. “The bus is already today clearly the most energy-efficient vehicle for public transport and our hybrid bus will accentuate its position as the best environmental option.”



“But, we must continue to reduce energy consumption and for us in the bus industry, this involves finding solutions to increase electricity use.”



Supported by authorities including the Swedish Energy Agency, Volvo is developing a plug-in hybrid bus. It is essentially the same Volvo hybrid bus as today, where the brake energy is recycled and utilized by the electric motor. But, with a new type of battery and charging equipment it will also be possible to charge the battery via the electricity network.



The concept is based on placing battery charging stations at the end stations of the bus lines. By charging the battery there for five to ten minutes, it could significantly extend the time that the bus is able to operate only on electricity.



This could entail distances of up to ten kilometers, with the corresponding advantages in the form of silent traffic with no local emissions. It can be controlled so that the bus operates on electricity in densely populated areas or in particularly sensitive environmental areas, while the diesel engine can be used on other parts of the route.



This technology will generate considerable opportunities to significantly reduce energy consumption. The reason is that electric engines have very high efficiency.



“We expect to be able to reduce the energy consumption in a city bus by up to 65% compared with today’s diesel buses,” says Håkan Karlsson. “And, the plug-in hybrid bus will be able to reduce diesel consumption and thus carbon-dioxide emissions by more than 75%.”



Volvo Buses expects to have a prototype bus ready for testing in 2011. The next step will be taken in autumn 2012, when a field test will commence in Gothenburg using three chargeable hybrid buses. The buses will be put in service with passengers.



The field test project will be implemented in cooperation with Business Region Göteborg, the Traffic Office inGothenburgCity, Västtrafik and Göteborgs Energi, which will be responsible for the charging stations. On Friday, the project was granted a subsidy of Euro 1,4 M from the EU’s program that supports environmental ventures, Life+.



“It is important to the environment that we are able to develop new energy-efficient solutions as rapidly as possible,” says Ulf Gustafsson, Head of Public Affairs at Volvo Buses. “We have the opportunity to succeed because we are capitalizing on the collective expertise of companies, organizations and authorities, and they are jointly investing the funds required.”



The field test will commence in autumn 2012, but Volvo Buses does not know yet when the company will be able to offer this bus in the market.



“It will take a few more years,” says Håkan Karlsson. “But, we are convinced that this is a key step on the path to more efficient public transport and an important step in the effort to reduce global energy consumption.”



| Volvo

First Renault premiums for Tarmac franchise operator NR Parsons Transport

Tarmac franchise operator, NR Parsons Transport Ltd, has taken delivery of its first four Renault Premium 460 6x2s with Optidriver automated gearbox and Privilege cab, supplied by Renault Trucks Cardiff. A further two Renault Premiums are on order for delivery in October. The Premiums replace Volvos and are the first Renaults to join NR Parson’s eleven strong fleet.



The Renault Premiums are undertaking general haulage work on franchise to Tarmac, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of heavy building materials, and will be based at Wales’ largest quarry, the Tarmac Cornelly Quarry at Bridgend. The trucks are specified with sleeper cabs for operational flexibility.







NR Parsons’ decision to purchase Renault trucks follows Tarmac’s recent move to add the marque onto its approved supplier list for franchise operators. A ‘Volvo man through and through’, Neil Parsons, owner, NR Parsons Transport, first considered the Renault Premium on recommendation from fellow operators. He comments: “Value for money and fuel economy were the two big factors in our purchase decision. Although it’s early days, the new Premiums are already returning 7.2mpg and we expect this to increase as the demonstrator was achieving 7.6 mpg, a good result for this type of operation and a considerable improvement on the existing vehicles on the fleet.”



To ensure maximum fuel efficiency, NR Parsons’ drivers will attend an Optifuel Driver Training Course through Renault Trucks Cardiff.



Peter Harris of Renault Trucks Cardiff, says: “Escalating fuel prices makes operators like NR Parsons acutely aware of the benefits of reducing diesel consumption. Added to the proven fuel-efficiency of the Renault Premium, attending an Optifuel course can make a real difference to an operator’s bottom line.”



Bridgend-based NR Parsons Transport Limited has over 15 years experience in general haulage for the aggregates, building materials and highways industries. The company has 14 employees and a fleet of eleven vehicles with the majority currently franchised to Tarmac and one on contract with Hanson.



| Renault Trucks

NiDa Transport order over 200 Volvo FMX trucks

NiDa Transport, South Africa has placed an order for over 200 of the latest Volvo FMX with the potential of 50 more. The trucks will be delivered during 2011.



“The trucks will be a fine tribute to our expanding transport operation. We considered a variety of alternatives in the local market, but ultimately it was the good uptime on the Volvo trucks, good parts availability and a dealer network that is well spread along the routes on which we will be operating that made us choose the Volvo brand”, says CEO for NiDa Transport, Nico Oosthuizen.





NiDa primarily services the mining industry sector in South Africa and combinations are fitted with side-tipping trailers for the coal and commodity transport applications and flat deck trailers to transport steel.



Currently NiDa is running a mixed fleet of approximately 385 vehicles, 200 of which are Volvo trucks. All the new Volvo FMX vehicles will be on maintenance contracts to ensure maximum up-time through planned and preventive servicing.



| Volvo

Mecedes-Benz Actros 1860 VS GM Class 66 in a contest from Daventry to Coatbridge

Commercial Motor, the UK’s largest weekly road transport magazine, teamed up with Railways Illustrated to stage a “head to head” challenge pitting a truck against a freight train. The purpose: to prove in real-life operating conditions, which mode of transport could deliver the goods to their destination in the quickest time.



Mercedes-BenzUKlaid on a flagship Euro 5 Actros 1860 MegaSpace 4x2 tractor unit, which was up against the latest GM Class 66 Train. Simultaneously departing from DIRFT (Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal) these two giants of the transport world demonstrated their individual strengths on the route north to Coatbridge Container Terminal, Glasgow.



With the track clear of the “wrong type of leaves” and traffic running smoothly on the M6, the first gauge of progress came some 13 miles in, when the train passed beneath the motorway moments ahead of the truck. The race was on.







Road transport planners are always in the hands of other road users but there were no accidents or incidents to hold it back and the Actros, its range-topping 16-litre 600bhp governed to a 56 mph top speed, made steady progress, reaching Gretna Green services in four hours, 27 minutes. That was just three minutes shy of the statutory, four-and-a-half hours maximum driving period. The truck then had to remain parked for 45 minutes, its single driver being more representative of typical truck operation than a double-manned cab.



With CANbus data showing an average 52.4mph and 8.5mpg, the mighty MegaSpace was proving a reliable and economical partner.



Meanwhile, the £2-million train, its 3,245bhp, 139-litre engine capable of 75mph, was returning less than one mile per gallon and was on the second of the three sets of crew it needed for the same trip. Having already had one change of personnel at Crewe, it was forced to stop for pathing at Tebay, before heading on to Carlisle for a third and final crew change.



Some 270 miles in, just south of Moffat where the rail line and M74 Motorway run parallel, Beattock Hill was reckoned by both parties to be the make or break point of the journey. Surely, he who crested first would have gained a winning advantage…



Nervous tension set in as train and truck reached the top side-by-side and the combatants aboard made eye-to-eye contact for the first time. To reach the finish line the truck would still have to navigate the busy sprawl of Bellshill and the centre of Coatbridge. The train, meanwhile, could peel off, leaving those aboard to enjoy the spectacular Lanarkshire countryside.





Six hours and 55 minutes after it departed DRIFT Northamptonshire, the Actros arrived at the container terminal gates, the anxious driver nervously asking: “Has the train arrived yet?” Celebrations began when the reply came: “Nope, its still 18 minutes away!”



Commercial MotorManaging Editor Will Shiers, who made the journey aboard the Class 66, said: “I’m thrilled with this result, as it’s a resounding ‘thumbs up’ for road transport. This test has shown and proved that not only is road faster than rail, but rail freight couldn’t possibly exist without trucks.”



“When we reached Beattock, some five hours into our journey, I was amazed that we were running side-by-side; you could have thrown a blanket over us. It was a nail biting moment for sure, and for a while I feared the train was going to deliver a runaway success.”



Pip Dun,Editor of Railways Illustrated, added: “This test has proved very informative. I’m a huge supporter of both forms of transport and although my heart is with rail, I believe each has its place; indeed, in many ways they compliment each other. Seeing the entire journey through the windscreen of the Actros was an interesting experience and something I’ve wanted to do for a number of years. I can now understand some of the challenges the road transport industry faces.”



| Mercedes-Benz

Emergency logistics saves a european vehicle manufacturer more than €1 million... in just 9 hours

One call to emergency logistics specialist Evolution Time Critical has saved a major vehicle manufacturer more than €1 million in lost production. The firm’s global operations team kept the lines running by resolving a compound failure, where a supply chain process experienced two consecutive faults.



Following a communications breakdown in the supply chain, Evolution was called in to collect vehicle components from a supplier in France and deliver them to the manufacturing plant in the UK in time for production requests the next day. The situation was then further complicated by a production failure at the Tier 1 supplier, which only became apparent when the company was contacted by Evolution to confirm the collection schedule. This compound failure appeared to make it impossible to get all the necessary parts to the UK in time to keep the lines running.





Calling on its expertise in automotive industry processes, Evolution devised a solution that provided the supplier with the necessary time to produce the parts while also ensuring the vehicle manufacturer’s production was not interrupted. A production and delivery schedule was agreed that prioritised production in the sequence required for vehicle assembly then Evolution arranged three charter flights at three-hourly intervals met by light-vans to deliver each batch of components through the night.



“This was a situation where a great deal of ingenuity was called for; no amount of money would have bought the time needed to get all the parts to the UK, so we needed to think laterally which is where our experience and industry knowledge proves invaluable,” said Brad Brennan, managing director, Evolution Time Critical. “Knowing that situations like this can be successfully resolved is allowing our customers to lean their supply chains even further, helping them to make welcome additional savings in these highly-competitive times.”



| Evolution Time Critical

ECOSTRALIS 6x2 mid-lift tractor units for Ace Movements

Ashford-based ACE Movements Transport has become one of the first operators to sign up to Iveco UK’s four per cent fuel guarantee, with the delivery of two ECOSTRALIS 6x2 mid-lift tractor units.The ECOSTRALIS Active Space Super3 tractors (AS440S46TX/P) have been supplied by Haynes Trucks on a three year lease backed by a comprehensive repair and maintenance agreement with Iveco Capital.

The four per cent fuel guarantee will be measured against the combined average performance of ACE Movements Transport’s current heavy truck fleet. Kevin Banbury, Managing Director of ACE Movements Transport, says: “Fuel is our main concern right now, and any savings we can make with ECOSTRALIS will directly impact on our bottom line.

“Before we placed the order Iveco technical staff carried out a detailed assessment of our current fleet before giving us the green light for the fuel guarantee. They are very confident ECOSTRALIS will deliver at least a four per cent improvement in fuel economy.”



Also key to securing the order for two new tractor units – which comprise one fleet replacement and one additional vehicle – were the whole life costs afforded by the ECOSTRALIS package.

“Total cost of ownership is paramount,” adds Banbury. “You don’t earn any more for operating the most expensive truck these days.

“The finance lease has enabled us to fix our costs over three years – with the only variables being insurance, putting a driver in the cab and diesel in the tank. And of course we expect the ECOSTRALIS to be the most economical on fuel.”

The two ECOSTRALIS tractor units benefit from a new EEV-rated Cursor 10 engine with revised engine mapping to reduce fuel consumption whilst maintaining performance. They are capable of producing up to 460 hp and a maximum torque of 2,100 Nm between 1,050 and 1,550 rev/min.

The ECOSTRALIS vehicles feature a standard specification which includes Blue&Me telematics, a comprehensive three year / 420,000 km* vehicle warranty and an ECOSWITCH device that limits engine power output by adjusting it to the load of the vehicle and its route. A EuroTronic automated transmission incorporating a new ECOfleet mode automatically adjusts to the loading of the unit to fine-tune fuel economy, whilst Michelin X Energy SaverGreen low rolling resistance tyres and a higher gearing contribute to the promised fuel saving.

The four per cent improvement in fuel economy offered with the Iveco ECOSTRALIS** is guaranteed for three years / 400,000 km***.

Family-run ACE Movements Transport has been trading for over 20 years and operates a fleet of eight trucks and four vans. The ECOSTRALIS’ will be used in conjunction with a pair of Schmitz Cargobull and Dennison trailers, primarily used to transport pots to garden centres in Scotland, and returning fully-laden with Scottish stone.

* Whichever comes first
** Subject to terms & conditions, available in full on request to Iveco
*** The fuel guarantee does not cover the initial 20,000 km running-in period

| Iveco