The Volvo VNL, a heavy truck purpose-designed for North American roads
A while ago we checked out Super Truck II, a Department of Energy program that has been challenging the makers of Class 8 heavy trucks—the ones that haul up to 80,000 lbs (36.3 tonnes) of freight. Truck companies like Daimler Trucks North America and Volvo Trucks North America were challenged to build a big rig that used 50 percent less fuel than the machines on the road in 2017, and they stepped up.
It'll be a while before all of the efficiency improvements make their way onto production trucks, as that program has only just come to a close. But the truck makers are already starting to apply some of the lessons to production vehicles, like Volvo's new VNL, a Class 8 long-haul truck that's been purpose-built just for our market.
"It's replacing the previous generation that had been around for several decades," explained Keith Brandis, VP of systems and solutions at VTNA. That was based on a global cab concept and design, where this was a completely new clean sheet for North America."
Some readers are bound to be a bit disappointed that the VNL doesn't improve fuel efficiency by quite as much as that ambitious research project. "I know 10 percent fuel economy doesn't sound like much. But on a heavy-duty truck, when you're going 8 to 8.8 miles per gallon [27–30 L/100 km], and you're traveling 125,000 miles a year (201,000 km), that is a huge return for the customer," Brandis countered.
