From May 14 to May 18, Volvo Trucks will be presenting its new electric drives for trucks for regional and city traffic at a trade fair for the first time at IFAT 2018 in Munich. In addition, further innovations, such as the gas-powered models of the Volvo FH series with LNG and the Volvo FE LEC with CNG will be shown. Overall, Volvo Trucks is presenting six trucks with different technologies at IFAT 2018. The vehicles will be on display in Hall C6, Booth 305 and on the outdoor area.
Volvo Trucks distribution vehicle with electric drive
Volvo Trucks presents for the first time at a trade fair in Germany a truck with electric drive for regional and city traffic. The all-electric Volvo will be on display at the IFAT 2018 during driving demonstrations. Volvo Trucks is thus continuing the development of Volvo Group's competence in the field of electric drives, which has been proven by Volvo buses since 2009. The sale of electric trucks for urban and regional use in Europe will start in 2019. Some selected customers will receive the first vehicles as early as 2018.
Volvo Trucks shows its heavy truck that can run on liquefied natural gas or biogas. The new heavy LNG trucks offer the same performance, performance and efficiency as diesel-powered Volvo models. At the same time, the CO2 emissions of the new trucks, depending on the fuel, are 20 to 100 percent lower than those of a diesel vehicle. The new models with LNG are available as Volvo FH LNG and Volvo FM LNG for heavy regional and long-distance traffic.
Natural gas in the form of LNG or Bio-LNG are used as fuel. When using biogas, the climate balance can be improved by up to 100 percent, and natural gas by 20 percent. This value applies to the emissions during vehicle operation (tank-to-wheel).
Instead of a gasoline engine, which is normally used in gas-powered vehicles, the LNG vehicles from Volvo Trucks relied on a diesel-powered gas engine. This allows companies to switch to gas without compromising on handling characteristics, fuel economy or reliability. Volvo's 338 kW (460 hp) gas engine delivers a maximum torque of 2,300 Nm, the 309 kW (420 hp) unit of 2,100 Nm. This corresponds to the values of the respective diesel engines from Volvo. The fuel consumption is 15 to 25 percent below the conventional gas engines according to the Otto principle. The sale of the models Volvo FM LNG and Volvo FH LNG will start in 2018.
At the IFAT, Volvo Trucks is showing the low floor variant - LEC (Low Entry Cab) - of the Volvo FE with CNG engine. The Volvo FE LEC CNG is specially designed for waste transport and municipal distribution. The cab has a low entry and a consistently flat floor. It offers excellent visibility and space for up to four people. The entry height is only 530 mm. When the lowering function is activated, it is lowered by a further 90 mm. The door can be opened at an angle of 90 degrees.
The Volvo FE CNG has a 9-liter Euro 6 engine with an output of 320 hp and 1356 Nm of torque, which is powered exclusively by natural gas. This makes the Volvo FE CNG a gas-powered alternative to the diesel drive for waste disposal and local distribution. Thanks to its fully automatic transmission, it has the same excellent driving and performance characteristics as the conventional Volvo FE, so no compromises have to be made on the Volvo FE CNG.
The liftable tandem drive axle will be on display at the IFAT in a Volvo FH 6x4 with a pick-up structure. The function is designed for tasks where vehicles carry heavy loads on the way out and return empty.
The liftable tandem drive axle is perfect for transports where ground conditions or gross vehicle weights require a tandem-drive truck but the vehicle is empty or lightly loaded in the opposite direction. The liftable tandem drive axle is available for the Volvo FM, Volvo FMX, Volvo FH and Volvo FH16.