Volvo cleans up with a gas truck
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by Oliver Dixon • Using fuels other than diesel to power a commercial vehicle is hardly a new idea: gas-powered buses are not uncommon, and urban delivery vehicles are also being adapted to run on non-diesel fuels.
In a number of these cases the vehicle is powered by a diesel engine modified for spark ignition, but Volvo Trucks has developed a power unit specifically for compressed natural gas (CNG) and Commercial Motor has driven the first example in the UK.
The modified FL10 6x2 positive-steer refuse collector was at last week's Waste Management Show in Torbay and is one of 11 going into service in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Power conies from a TG103KF 10-litre engine developing 247hp (184kW) at 2,000rpm with 8551bft (1,159Nm) of torque at 1200rpm and driving via Volvo's fully automatic Powertronic gearbox.
It has a claimed range of some 300km, carrying its fuel in five 1001it composite tanks mounted at the front of the Norba RL35 compactor body.
Inside the cab the only reminders that this isn't a conventional diesel-powered FL10 are the selector unit for the Powertronic shift and an additional gearbox oil temperature gauge. The automatic gearbox allows two-pedal operation. The engine is started in the conventional way, with a standard Volvo ignition key and there's no pre-heating period— like a petrol engine, the gas-powered unit simply has to be turned over once or twice before it catches.
Initially the vehicle seems to generate quite a lot of noise, but once the system has warmed through things get much quieter. The gas-powered unit is not as quiet as the quietest diesel we've tested, but it certainly doesn't disgrace itself.
Out on the road the THG103KF engine is a willing performer. Acceleration is excellent, and hill-climbing presents no problems. We did find that to get the best out of the engine, the Powertronic gearbox needed to be operated across all three modes: normal running, laden running and laden hill-climbing.
Starting off in normal mode seemed to cause the vehicle to up-shift too quicklywe preferred the longer gear offered in the other modes, switching back to normal at around 20mph.
This contradicts the accepted wisdom that Euro-2 engines benefit from quick upshifts and slow downshifts, but the gaspowered engine did seem to rev at around 200rpm per gear higher than its diesel-powered stablemate.
At motorway speeds the gaspowered FL10 is a very relaxed vehicle to drive. Aided by cruise control, we found that once it had reached its limited speed of 85km/h only the severest of hills slowed it down. At this speed the cab was also quiet enough to hold a conversation.
Where this unit really came into its own was in heavy traffic. Stop-start conditions were easily dealt with; the engine never felt laboured. Overall, we were impressed. Direct comparison with the diesel counterpart is not easy as a range of 300km is of little value to many operations, and from a practical viewpoint CNG is still not common enough for general haulage.
However, for municipal fleets or urban distribution work, where range is less important than keeping ahead of environmental legislation, the was-powered FL10 has some obvious advantages. It's clean, quiet, and performs more than adequately.
It seems ironic that vehicle manufacturers are working hard to develop non-diesel "green" engines, while simultaneously producing diesel engines which will, with the advent of Euro-3, probably expel cleaner air than they take in! But if legislation does force engines down the alternativefuels route, Volvo is likely to have a head start.