Volvo hybrid refuse truck tested in London


Volvo Trucks is launching an upgrade of worlds first hybrid refuse truck. After a year and a half of initial field testing with excellent results, an upgraded truck is now being released with new components and software. Development is very speedy, and the technology in our new test vehicle is much closer to a production-ready solution. The new refuse truck will be tested by Veolia Environmental Services in central London.

The new refuse truck is an improved version of the trucks. The new truck is known as a parallel hybrid. That is it has two separate drivelines, one for diesel and one for electricity, which can be used either separately or together. The benefit of this is each fuel type can be used where it is fuel-efficient: the electric motor at low revs and the diesel engine at high revs.

The new refuse truck has electric power steering, totally new control systems and advanced battery management strategies to optimise the performance of battery. Loading and refuse compaction are electrically motorized by plug-in compactor that is charged by main electricity grid. The battery is also new, with enhanced reliability and longer lifetime.

The initial results from all Volvo hybrid test vehicles show that the prediction of up to 30 percent less fuel and carbon dioxide emissions has been validated. The electrical power system provides high torque from start-up, low noise level and emission-free loading and refuse compaction. In terms of fuel consumption and climate impact, our calculated results are better than predicted and have achieved reduction of an incredible 35 percent. The hybrid saves us 5 250 litres of fuel compared to a traditional diesel engine.

Small-scale series production of the hybrids is scheduled to begin at 2012. This is later than Volvo had originally intended and it attributes the delay to the global financial crisis.

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