Heavy trucks of the future will be super-light

Heavy trucks of the future will be super-light 

The Volvo Group's engineers have created a method for constructing trucks that
weigh less while carrying the same loads. Lighter vehicles would entail a
significant reduction in fuel consumption and thus carbon dioxide emissions. 

To date, lightweight technology has mainly been used in Volvo Aero's aircraft
engine components, but engineers at AB Volvo's research company, Volvo
Technology, foresee favorable opportunities in using similar technology to
reduce the weight of the cab and chassis in heavy trucks by at least 20% within
ten years. 

“We are creating the super-light vehicle in a computer program that simulates
how hundreds of thousands of small construction alterations can reduce the
vehicle's total weight without affecting other key characteristics in the
vehicle, such as crashworthiness or the ability to bear loads,” says Carl
Fredrik Hartung, Project Manager at Volvo Technology. 

A lighter vehicle, regardless of whether it is a truck or a bus, can be powered
by a smaller engine. If the lighter vehicle is equipped with an engine powered
by renewable fuel, or hybrid solutions in which the diesel engine is jointly
powered with an electric motor, then fuel consumption and thus carbon emissions
can be further reduced. 

One of the challenges is that a super-light vehicle must be constructed partly
with more expensive materials that are highly durable, which means that the
vehicle must be manufactured in volumes that are sufficiently large for the cost
to be kept down. 

“It is important to conduct thorough computer simulations and standardize the
manufacturing process so that it will be profitable to manufacture lighter
vehicles for commercial use. We have come a long way but a great deal of work
remains before the first super-light vehicles hit the road,” says Carl Fredrik
Hartung. 

A video interview with Carl Fredrik Hartung is available on the Volvo Group´s
web site. 

June 24, 2009
 
Journalists who would like further information, please contact
Carl Fredrik Hartung, Project Manager, Volvo Technology, tel +46 (0)31-322 56 95
Anders Vilhelmsson, Press Contact, AB Volvo, tel +46 (0)31-322 38 79. 

Visit http://www.thenewsmarket.com/volvogroup to access broadcast-standard video
from Volvo Group. You can preview and request video, and choose to receive as a
MPEG2 file or by Beta SP tape. Registration and video is free to the media.

AB Volvo (publ) may be required to disclose the information provided herein
pursuant to the Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for
publication at 08.30 a.m. CET, 24 June, 2009.

The Volvo Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and
construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications,
aerospace components and services. The Group also provides complete solutions
for financing and service. The Volvo Group, which employs about 100,000 people,
has production facilities in 19 countries and sells their products in more than
180 markets. In 2008 annual sales of the Volvo Group amounted to about SEK 300
billion. The Volvo Group is a publicly-held company headquartered in Göteborg,
Sweden. Volvo shares are listed on OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm. For more
information, please visit www.volvogroup.com or www.volvogroup.mobi if you are
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