TRUCKS OF THE FUTURE; CLOSER TO REALITY THAN YOU THINK
Progress is getting ever faster. In just ten years' time trucks are going to be a lot different to those of today. At least that is according to Rikard Orell, Design Director at Volvo Truck Corporation and one of the brains behind Concept Truck 2020, the Volvo Truck Corporation's bold vision for the future.
Long distance haulage for the future: long combinations, controlled by autopilot, driven non-stop in nose-to-tail convoys on green super-motorways linking the continents.
This is the vision of the future that generated the ideas behind the Volvo Concept Truck 2020 design concept. But will it really look like this in just ten years?
"That is the whole point," says Rikard Orell Design Director at Volvo Trucks. "Progress is getting ever faster. Because of this our vision for the future is not that far away. Much of the technology in the Volvo Concept Truck 2020 is already available; other technology needs to be developed. One needs to dare to stride firmly into the debate, demonstrating what one can and will do. Just tinkering at the edges runs the risk of progress slipping away."
Safer and more efficient commercial transport
As road transport expands it must also become safer and more efficient. Volvo's design concept contains ideas about how that can be achieved. Some of these ideas can be integrated into production today, while others are there to arouse interest and start a discussion.
One of the more startling ideas is to link vehicles together wirelessly into long road-trains that rush across the continents at 90 km/h (56 mph).
"This will be possible when the transport sector's vision of green corridors becomes reality," says Rikard Orell. "Here heavy goods vehicles are separated from other traffic, driving in their own lanes, rather like a railway, but without the rails."
There are many advantages. Road safety increases, transport services require less space and wear and tear on the roads decreases. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions drop thanks to reduced drag when a truck is in the slipstream of the vehicle in front. In addition the driver can rest behind the wheel while the truck effectively drives itself. If this is counted as idle time, transport times can be cut, deliveries will be made more quickly and drivers can get back to their friends and families earlier.
Spacious and airy driver environment
The driver is at the centre of Volvo's world. It goes without saying that a design concept from Volvo Trucks contains a great many ideas about the development of the driver environment. In the Volvo Concept Truck 2020 the driver's environment is spacious, airy and free of disruption.
"We have replaced the traditional dashboard with a thin film panel on which information is tailored to suit the driver," says Rikard Orell. "The panel is operated like a touchpad, just like an iPhone. We have saved a lot of space that way."
Another space-saving idea is the sleek driver's seat with its thin, ventilated mesh backrest, more like a modern office chair than a traditional driver's seat. Behind the driver is a futon sofa which folds out into a wide, comfortable bed in the evening.
The lighting in the cab is divided into zones customised for the driver's various in-cab tasks, or for resting. Around the driver are large areas of glass providing good visibility out of the vehicle and even into it. This benefits eye contact between the driver and other road users preventing accidents. Privacy screening and blackout in the evening are also controlled electronically.
Aerodynamic collision protection
The design team also aimed for a sleek look for the exterior, reducing the perception of the vehicle's size. The LED headlamps and indicators are integrated into the front of the vehicle. The rear-view mirrors have been replaced by cameras that project their images onto the inside of the windscreen.
The lower section of the front of the vehicle features integrated collision protection projecting forwards about half a metre. This ‘nose' is gentler on oncoming cars in the event of a head-on collision and has also been shown to improve the aerodynamics of the vehicle.
As Rikard Orell points out, "Because the nose is a safety function, our starting point has been that it does not count as part of the maximum permitted vehicle length, just as rear-view mirrors today are outside the maximum permitted width."
Some things you just do not change. The ‘Globetrotter' sign on the roof is still there, but has been redesigned so that it harmonises with the lines of the vehicle and reduces drag. The driver can also change the text on the sign from the instrument panel.
The rear end is the next stage
So work on the external design focuses largely on aerodynamics, but by how much is it really possible to reduce drag on a truck ?
"We have come so far with the front of the vehicle that further changes to the basic shape provide only marginal improvements," says Rikard Orell. "However, a lot will happen when we start work on the design of the rear end of the vehicle. There is a great deal of untapped aerodynamic potential there."
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Volvo Cars enters the all-new
Volvo S60 in the Belgian Touring Car Series
Just weeks after the all-new Volvo S60 was introduced to the public, the
latest Volvo model is also being unveiled in a racing version. Volvo Cars
Belgium will enter the new car in the 2010 season of the Belgian Touring Car
Series. Volvo fans will not need to wait long to see the latest model in
action since the premiere takes place on April 11.
"We are very happy about this development," says Bart Crols, Managing
Director at Volvo Cars Belgium. "The all-new Volvo S60 sports sedan is
Volvo's most exciting driving experience so far and there is no better way
to show this than by bringing it to the race track. Volvo and the all-new
S60 have a special place in the people's hearts here as several Volvo
models, including the new S60, are built in Belgium at theVolvo Cars Ghent
plant."
The new Volvo S60 race car has been developed in record time locally by
Volvo's Belgian S60 Racing Team. It has been developed in accordance with
the BTCS Silhouette S1 regulations which put a major emphasis on
standardised features. All cars must use a tubular chassis, the same type of
front and rear suspension and aerodynamics. A uniform type of engine
specification is also available but manufacturers are allowed to use own
engines.
The Volvo S60 Racing Team will also operate the car at all BTCS races and
the drivers are Vincent Radermecker and Eric Van De Poele.
Its maiden track test will take place on April 1 (today) on the Belgian
Zolder track.
"It has been a hectic period, but we have received great assistance from
Volvo Cars' Motorsport department" says Thomas Neri, Team Manager for the
Volvo S60 Racing Team. He continues: "Our main objective is to get up to
speed and to compete well in the various heats. Next season we hope to put
our own in-house developed engine in the car."
BTCS - low cost, high-performance racing
The BTCS is an endurance racing championship with six competitions on
tracks such as Spa-Francorchamps, Zolder and Dijon. Each race consists of
two 90-minute heats and there is also one 12-hour race in Spa. The all-new
Volvo S60 will face intense competition from the likes of BMW, Audi, Jaguar
and VW. BTCS has grown rapidly in terms of both competing brands and numbers
thanks to its low-cost, high-performance combination and, not least, the
fact that the cars have considerable visual appeal. The race series is
televised in several countries and is gaining in popularity.
"We will support and follow our development in this series very closely
as several other national championships are considering similar standardised
regulations in the future," says Derek Crabb, Motorsport Director at the
Volvo Car Corporation. "This BTCS campaign will give us a good understanding
of what these types of regulations can mean for Volvo."
Technical Specification Volvo S60 BTCS
2010 Racing Calendar for the all-new Volvo S60 in the BTCS series
More information about the Belgian Touring Car Series:
http://www.btcseries.be/
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| Petrol engines | Displacement | Configuration | Output | Torque |
| T6 | 3.0 | 6-cyl in-line | 304 bhp | 440 Nm |
| 2.0T | 2.0 | 4-cyl in-line | 203 bhp | 300 Nm |
| Diesel engines | Displacement | Configuration | Output | Torque |
| D5 | 2.4 | 5-cyl in-line | 205 bhp | 420 Nm |
| D3 | 2.0 | 5-cyl in-line | 163 bhp | 400 Nm |
Engines added during first year of production:
| Petrol engines | Displacement | Configuration | Output | Torque |
| T5 | 2.0 | 4-cyl in-line | 240 bhp | 320 Nm |
| T4 | 1.6 | 4 cyl in-line | 180 bhp | 240 Nm |
| T3 | 1.6 | 4-cyl in-line | 150 bhp | 240 Nm |
| Diesel engines | Displacement | Configuration | Output | Torque |
| 1.6 D DRIVe | 1.6 | 4-cyl in-line | 115 bhp | 270 Nm |
New infotainment system - and world-class sound
The all-new S60 gets an all-new infotainment system where information from the audio unit, navigation system, mobile phone and other functions is presented on a five-inch or seven-inch colour screen in the upper part of the centre console. The screen is installed high to make it easy for the driver to keep his or her eyes on the road.
"We are one of the few manufacturers to give the driver access to all infotainment functions via controls in the steering wheel," says Tomas Ahlborg,
The audio experience in the all-new S60 has been enhanced compared with previous models.
One of the first car models with MultEQ
"Our most advanced system, Premium Sound, has a class-D digital 5x130W amplifier with circuits from Sweden's Anaview, Dolby Digital in combination with Dolby Pro Logic II Surround, the award-winning MultEQ from Audyssey Laboratories and 12 loudspeakers. All this creates an audio experience of absolute world class," says Tomas Ahlborg.
The Volvo S60 is one of the first car models in the world to use Audyssey Laboratories MultEQ technology, the standard for room equalization in the home and professional theatre markets. MultEQ removes distortion caused by the car cabin's acoustics, enabling crisp, clear sound with improved soundstage for everyone in the car.
In addition to the top-of-the line Premium Sound, the all-new S60 is available with a choice of three other audio systems.
Annual target 90,000 cars
The initial annual target for the all-new Volvo S60 is 90,000 cars. The customer base is spread unusually uniformly throughout the world. Europe (including Russia), North America and the rest of the world will each account for about one-third of total sales.
The all-new S60 is built at the Volvo Cars factory in Ghent, Belgium. The first cars will be delivered to customers in early summer 2010.
"Irrespective of whether the customers are in the USA, Europe or elsewhere in the world, they all prioritise the same characteristics. Now we are giving them an entirely new S60 that has a unique appeal to even the most discerning of buyers," says Stephen Odell.
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