Photo: Volvo
The world of semis has become so competitive, especially since Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo moved their battle from the passenger cars segment into that of the road giants. Now Volvo has come up with the SuperTruck 2 concept, and it is one of the world's most efficient truck. All it needs is to enter production. Volvo is already using technologies tested on the concept in production vehicles.
Back in 2016, Volvo Trucks embarked on an insane adventure. The US Department of Energy challenged the manufacturer to build an electric truck that would be 100% more efficient than others on the road. Volvo took their time and came back with a project that exceeds expectations and targets established seven years ago.
The futuristic look of the new Volvo truck is not just a choice made in the name of design. The manufacturer, which worked in partnership with DOE, explains that much of the efficiency achieved is all due to improved aerodynamics and better materials, which made the SuperTruck 2 more efficient than an equivalent tractor trailer from 2009, which it was based on. The cabin follows a perfect wedge shape, sporting a wraparound windshield. The fairings and the boat tail on the trailer bring along 50 percent less drag than the 2009 baseline truck, the SuperTruck 1.
The SuperTruck 2 demonstrated 16 miles per gallon fuel efficiency, which is a 170 percent improvement compared to the SuperTruck 1. The Daimler Freightliner SuperTruck II gets about 12 miles per gallon (MPG). Meanwhile, the electric Tesla Semi truck comes in with the equivalent of 25-35 mpg, depending on the ratio of diesel costs with electricity. Yet the highest mileage that commercial semi trucks have is about 10.5 mpg.
The truck that Volvo built is also lighter, as the manufacturer used a composite driveshaft. Furthermore, they reduced the number of axles to keep the weight under control. The shorter cabin translates into less material and, subsequently, lower weight. Volvo also replaced the traditional hood and cab-mounted mirrors with a streamlined camera monitoring system to reduce the drag by more than 4 percent.
The Volvo SuperTruck 2 is equipped with a 48-volt mild hybrid system that plays the part of a starter generator, which is there to help with keeping all the features in operation without having to idle the engine for long periods of time.
We are currently dealing with just a concept truck, but Volvo is already using tech already proven with the concept in production trucks. They claim that they wanted to test the efficiency gains outside the wind tunnel, in the real world. And that is what the project team focused on during the development stage.
Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America, says that the team did not just focus in a lab or on flat, empty roads with optimal driving conditions. Instead, the vehicle faced real-world scenarios with traffic and changes of elevation, with a Gross Combined Vehicle Weight (GCVW) of 65,000 pounds (29,484 kilograms).
The Volvo SuperTruck 2 will make its public debut at the American Trucking Associations’ 2023 Management Conference & Exhibition, set to take place from October 14 to 17 in Austin, Texas.
That is where the new Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 is also going to be. With a payload of around 22 tons, the electric truck produced by the Germans comes with a peak and almost continuous output of 805 horsepower (816 PS). Three battery packs, each with a capacity of 207 kWh, store enough energy for a range of up to 500 miles (804 kilometers). With the eActros, Mercedes is planning to progressively replace all the diesel trucks in the company's lineup.
The futuristic look of the new Volvo truck is not just a choice made in the name of design. The manufacturer, which worked in partnership with DOE, explains that much of the efficiency achieved is all due to improved aerodynamics and better materials, which made the SuperTruck 2 more efficient than an equivalent tractor trailer from 2009, which it was based on. The cabin follows a perfect wedge shape, sporting a wraparound windshield. The fairings and the boat tail on the trailer bring along 50 percent less drag than the 2009 baseline truck, the SuperTruck 1.
The SuperTruck 2 demonstrated 16 miles per gallon fuel efficiency, which is a 170 percent improvement compared to the SuperTruck 1. The Daimler Freightliner SuperTruck II gets about 12 miles per gallon (MPG). Meanwhile, the electric Tesla Semi truck comes in with the equivalent of 25-35 mpg, depending on the ratio of diesel costs with electricity. Yet the highest mileage that commercial semi trucks have is about 10.5 mpg.
The truck that Volvo built is also lighter, as the manufacturer used a composite driveshaft. Furthermore, they reduced the number of axles to keep the weight under control. The shorter cabin translates into less material and, subsequently, lower weight. Volvo also replaced the traditional hood and cab-mounted mirrors with a streamlined camera monitoring system to reduce the drag by more than 4 percent.
The Volvo SuperTruck 2 is equipped with a 48-volt mild hybrid system that plays the part of a starter generator, which is there to help with keeping all the features in operation without having to idle the engine for long periods of time.
We are currently dealing with just a concept truck, but Volvo is already using tech already proven with the concept in production trucks. They claim that they wanted to test the efficiency gains outside the wind tunnel, in the real world. And that is what the project team focused on during the development stage.
Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America, says that the team did not just focus in a lab or on flat, empty roads with optimal driving conditions. Instead, the vehicle faced real-world scenarios with traffic and changes of elevation, with a Gross Combined Vehicle Weight (GCVW) of 65,000 pounds (29,484 kilograms).
The Volvo SuperTruck 2 will make its public debut at the American Trucking Associations’ 2023 Management Conference & Exhibition, set to take place from October 14 to 17 in Austin, Texas.
That is where the new Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 is also going to be. With a payload of around 22 tons, the electric truck produced by the Germans comes with a peak and almost continuous output of 805 horsepower (816 PS). Three battery packs, each with a capacity of 207 kWh, store enough energy for a range of up to 500 miles (804 kilometers). With the eActros, Mercedes is planning to progressively replace all the diesel trucks in the company's lineup.
We proudly present the new and most amazing #VolvoSuperTruck2! It’s not only a truck, it’s a live innovation lab that exceeds benchmarks in freight efficiency and it features our most aerodynamic tractor-trailer system ever built in North America! https://t.co/iNdftIThj5
— Volvo Trucks (@VolvoTrucks) October 10, 2023
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