Volvo unveils new integrated VN Series

Volvo Trucks
After three years of engineering and a $190 million dollars investment, Volvo has unveiled its new VN series of Class 8 highway tractors, which the company says focuses on productivity, aerodynamics, and comfort, while accommodating its new 12-litre D12 engine, designed to comply with the upcoming Oct. 1 EPA standards. Production VN with the 2002 engines will start at Volvo’s New River Valley plant in October.

The new series, called the VNL, now comes in models 300, 430, 630, 670, and 780. The day cab 430, and 630 also come in a configuration now dubbed VNM, while the vocational VHD is now named VHD 200 (see following new product item below).

Like the original VN introduced in 1996, this new series takes its platform from the European Volvo FH, which also underwent a total redesign when it was launched a year ago. While the rest of the industry has focused on developing cleaner new engines for installation in existing truck models, Volvo, which produces its own engines, says it has instead concentrated on developing an integrated engine, cab, and chassis package in parallel. In other words, a new truck for the engine, not the other way around. The company says it has redesigned and optimized more than 1,000 parts that made up the previous VN model.

“We had a unique opportunity as an integrated manufacturer to design the engine while we were working on the new vehicle,” Chuck Pannell, project manager for the new series, told Today’s Trucking. “It really allowed us to be able to design and release a new truck rather than just simply a new engine installation. It let us know what some of the concerns were going to be, and gave us a head’s up on what we needed to address on the vehicle.”

In order to counter the heavier weight of the D12 engine and reduce fuel economy (Volvo maintains field tests shown a low fuel economy penalty of 0 to 2 per cent), the company has focused mainly on a more aerodynamic design and on reducing weight on other components-mainly on the chassis. It says the new VNL weighs about 1,500 pounds less than when the original line was introduced in 1996.

Body and Style

Although the VNL maintains many of the same stylistic features as the previous VN, Volvo says they needed to focus on making the new one as aerodynamic as possible. The low profile and wider body of the vehicle helps achieve drag co-efficient 3.2 per cent less than the previous model, and can equate to a 1.5 per cent improvement in fuel economy, the company says.

Features include: reducing “dead zones” (open spaces that trap air and create drag); wider hood and mounting system; new three-piece break-away front bumper that improves airflow under the truck and draws excessive heat from the engine; new flared fenders, adapted from auto racing technology, increases air intake to the engine; new injection-molded splash shields to reduce dirt and road spray from reaching the engine; a new chassis fairing system that can be tilted or even removed without any tools; repositioned two-piece mirrors; improved headlight design, with halogen high beam and PES beam bulbs, follows the lines of the hood; and redesigned air intakes on both sides of the hood.

Under the Hood

The D12 engine, designed to meet EPA’s tough Oct. 02 emissions standards, is similar to Cummins’ ISX engine, which is also available for the VNL. Like the ISX and all but one of the other OE engines, the D12 uses Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) technology, where gases are forced back into the intake with fresh air fuel, reducing the combustion flame temperature, which reduces NOx. The D12 uses Volvo’s V-Pulse technology, which does not require a variable geometry turbocharger to achieve the EGR necessary to reduce combustion emission and particulate matter to required levels, the company says. That means the engine, which will be available in ratings of 365, 395, 435, and 465 hp, harnesses naturally occurring engine pressure as a means to reintroduce up to 30 per cent of the combustion by-product back into the intake chamber.

All VN models with 15-liter engines will have Cummins’ twin-overhead-cam ISX engine with EGR. Horsepower range is 400 to 565. No other engines other than the two will be offered.

The engine, of course, will add an estimated cost of between $5,000 and $10,000 to the total price of the vehicle. With so much controversy surrounding the increase, Volvo has taken a unique marketing approach by listing the increase as a stand-alone item on the invoice.

“We’ve listed it as a surcharge, if you will,” Susan Alt, Volvo’s vice-president of marketing, told Today’s Trucking. “We wanted the customer to understand our investment and why this price increase is coming. We’re simply trying to make a point by clarifying this is an EPA surcharge.”

Chassis and Suspension

Another boost to aerodynamics was repackaging the chassis, which allowed the cab to be repositioned over the front axle. This provides operators the option for a shorter wheelbase, thus reducing the gap between the tractor and trailer by as much as 12 inches.

On the front axle itself, steering gear installation is reversed with the Pitman arm mounted inboard to increase wheel cut to fifty degrees. Axle setback allows better distribution of heavy loads since more weight can be carried on the drive axle.

Other weight-saving features include: new lighter frame rails-but for weight-sensitive applications, there is an option for a new, tall section 1/4 of an inch frame offering the same stiffness and RBM as thicker frames; a new front air suspension system – the Airtek system, designed exclusively to Volvo specifications by Hendrickson-is 125 pounds lighter than earlier models; the new high-pressure power steering system generates less friction and is 10 pounds lighter; chassis routing and clipping ensures colour coded air and electrical lines do not rub against it.

Cab and Sleeper

Perhaps some of the VN’s most noticeable changes are from inside the cab. Although there isn’t much more cubic space, the company says they have made better use of the space available. Features include: a new wraparound dash where componentry was moved forward, creating improved driver ergonomics; a larger message centre relocated directly in front of the driver and controlled from the steering column; lights and radio/CD can also be controlled from the steering wheel; a new Electronic Climate Control was rebuilt with new nozzles and rotary controls to allow more precise temperature settings and better airflow and defrosting; new driver and passenger seats with a variety of new functions are available in three new models; gear shift has been relocated directly in the middle of driver and passenger seats, giving the driver more comfort; a brand new interior includes upgraded amenities and a variety of new interior colors, textures, and fabric prints; and the sleeper includes a variety of upgrades and an enhanced appearance.