Volvo builds for the future
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by Brian Weatherley • Fans of futuristic trucks are in for a disappointment. According to Volvo Truck Corporation President Karl. Erling Trogen, Volvo's new Environmental Concept Truck (ECT). built at a cost of SEK90m, will definitely not be going into production.
But much of its technology, which _includes a gas-turbine powered electric traction motor, all-wheel steering and active suspension, could well be on a future generation of inner-city distribution trucks that rolls off Volvo's Gothenburg assembly line in the 21st Century.
ECT, described by Trogen as our visions and ideas for transport beyond tomorrow" is the result of an 18-month project charged with producing an ultra-low-emission 15-tonneGVW delivery truck.
While Volvo's engineers insist that the diesel engine has many years of life left in it, the ECT is propelled by a "Series Hybrid" driveline consisting of a ethanol-powered gas turbine and a high-speed generator. This either directly powers the electric motor fitted to the back axle, or charges the ECT's 48unit nickel-hydride battery pack which can provide "zero-emission" electric operation for up to 25km in environmentally sensitive inner city areas.
ETC project leader Hans Hallung reports that the multifuel-capability gas turbine, provided by VIC sister company Volvo Aero Turbines, emits "just one-tenth of the nitrogen oxides of the level produced by the cleanest diesel currently available".
The turbine/generator sits in the centre of the ECT's conventional ladder-type chassis. Operating at speeds of up to 70,000rpm it provides AC current for the traction motor which under normal conditions produces around 150hp (110kW).
When there is a surplus of power energy from the generator is diverted to the 2,000kg battery pack.When extra power is required the turbine/generator output can be supplemented by the battery pack to produce a combined 170hp (142kW).
Despite its ultra-modern appearance Volvo's ECT cab has more than a passing resemblance to the original TX450 concept truck developed by Leyland back in the early eighties. The sweeping curves and deep screen give the driver maximum all-round vision, not least close in front of the truck. The cab itself is based on an allaluminium space frame with alloy exterior panels and composite mouldings.
For the delivery driver who "can be getting in and out of a truck up to 70 times a day" the ECT has a 600mm-high cab floor. Wide-opening, plug-type doors provide easy access into the flat-floor cab which has a 1.9m ceiling.
Inside there is a state-of-theart ergonomically designed cockpit with air-bag steering wheel and three-point seatbelt. Wing mirrors are replaced by rear-facing video monitors.
Among the many engineering options being tested on the ECT is speed-sensitive rear-wheel steering. Running up to 30km/h the ECT's rear wheels steer in the opposite direction to the front wheels, providing a 17m turning circle on the 10m-long chassis—some 3m less than a similar length FL618. Above 30km/h the system gradually phases in what Volvo calls its "Active Steering Facility" where the rear wheels point in the same direction of the front wheels—although at a far smaller angle. According to Volvo this gives better control with "excellent road feel". In tight loading bays the driver can also lock all four wheels in the same direction, before "dog walking" the truck sideways into position.
Other technologies being assessed include
• Independent front suspension with twin link rods; • Faster-acting hydraulically actuated discs all round with ABS; • Load-adjusting "active" suspension which can be deflated to give a platform height of just 900mm; • Rain-sensitive automatic windscreen wipers; • Gas-discharge headlights with secondary ultraviolet night lights providing twice the field of vision of conventional lights;
• Michelin low-rolling-resistance tyres comprising 495/40 R19.5 rubber on the rear and 245/70R 19.5 on the front; • An in-cab driver navigation and vehicle management/communication system together with an onboard PC.
At the Swedish "roll out" last week Volvo's ECT looked genuinely impressive, whispering round the Gothenburg truck plant backed by the gentle whine of the gas turbine—but the Swedish truck maker is adamant that at the very most only a handful of "field test pilot trucks" will ever be built. And with a kerbweight of between 99.5 tonnes the ECT is clearly a technology demonstrator rather than a practical load carrier, Volvo's real truck of tomorrow is scheduled to make its official public debut in September at the Paris Show.
0 Commercial Motor will investigate the various systems used on the ECT in a forthcoming Technology Update.