SuperTruck

Development and Demonstration of a Fuel-Efficient Class 8 Highway Vehicle

Vehicle Systems

DOE Contract: DE-EE0004232

P.I.: Pascal Amar, Volvo Technology of America

2014 Annual Merit Review

Washington, DC

June 19, 2014

This presentation does not contain any proprietary, confidential, or otherwise restricted information

Project ID: VSS081
Timeline

Start: June 2011 

End: June 2016

55% complete

Budget

Total Cost: $38M 

Cost share: $19M

Cost to date: $18.3M

Funds to date: $9.1M

Barriers

 Cost effective & timely evaluation of advanced 

components and configurations

 Operational effectiveness & end-user 

acceptance of advanced concepts

Team

Lead: Volvo Technology of America

Partners:

Project Overview

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• In support of DOE’s mission

“[...] more energy efficient and environmentally friendly highway transportation [...]”

• Project Objectives

Objective 1 50% more ton-miles per gallon than a ‘best in class’ 2009 truck

Objective 1a 50% Brake Thermal Efficiency

Objective 2 55% Brake Thermal Efficiency Concept

• Reporting Period Objectives

– Evaluate candidate technologies on concept vehicle

– Complete technology selection (Phase I)

– Start development & integration of technologies into demonstrator (Phase II)

Relevance

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4

Approach: Technology Selection & Integration

Demo Truck

 Techn. Refinement

Optimization

Validation

Phase II - Development & Integration

Integration

demonstrator chassis

mule truck Concept Truck

Phase I - Concept Selection

Baseline Tests

engine bench 

Virtual Optimization

Energy Management Dev.

Techn. Development

engine bench 

Concepts Evaluation

Validation

Model Development

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Identify, evaluate and select 

most promising technologies

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5 

Designing for real operating conditions

 

 

 

 

Speed distribution (%)

>1 billion miles Simulated vs. log data Customer Duty Cycles 

of logged data

System Simulations

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Trailer addon devices

Tractor 

redesign

Integration

Rankine 

Cycle

Rankine 

Cycle

Turbo 

compounding

Downspeeding Downsizing

Combustion 

Improvements

Friction 

reduction

Next gen. 

tires

Weight 

reduction

Smart 6x2

Intelligent controls

Typical Fuel Energy Analysis (Long-Haul)

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Importance of Integrated Design

Vehicle vs. Powertrain Improvements

Road Load, 

Heat Rejection,

... 

Packaging, 

Cooling Needs,

... 

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Accomplishments: Phase I Testing Complete

• 16 configurations of Tractors & Trailer Modifications

• > 6,000 miles of on-road testing

• Correlated to chassis dynamometer & simulations

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Phase I Results

On-road

Chassis Dyno

41%

43%

Phase I Phase II

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Complete Vehicle Aerodynamic Optimization Normalized aerodynamic drag

Target > 40% lower drag

”best in class” MY2009

Tractor tweaks

Trailer addon devices

Co-optimization

Fleet testing on-going to verify operational performance

Integrated design

Status: 30% drag reduction

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• Demonstrator engine running in test cell

• 11liter engine capable of same power as the 13liter 

• Targeting ~400lbs powertrain weight reduction

• 50% BTE technologies in test on component test rigs

Accomplishments: Powertrain Improvements

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Accomplishments: Ultra Light Frame Assembly

Q3’2012

Q1’2014

> 40% lighter 

- Bending

- Innovation

- Weight savings

- Manufacturing

- ...

Q2’2013

- FEA

- Virtual test track

- ...

From idea to prototype 

in 18 months

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New Opportunities for Energy Management

Speed 

Accelerate

Hold Gear

Reduce Speed 

Roll

Roll

Engage Aux.

Terrain

Set Speed

Brake Speed Intelligent Controls

Conventional cruise 

• Intelligent Controls leverage vehicle improvements 

to achieve further fuel efficiency gains

• - Auxiliary Integration maximizes use of free energy

• - Powertrain Management minimizes fuel use

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2014

Cab BIW 

assembly 

Begins

Cab Installed on 

Chassis

Engine Transmission 

Installation

Exterior Chassis 

components ordered

Future Work: Demonstrator Build Plan

2015

Assembly begins 

for Chassis 

components

Axles, Brakes, 

Wheels, Tires, etc

ordered

Hood/Bumper, Roof, 

Ground Effects, Chassis 

Fairings, Side Deflectors 

Ordered

Axle Installation

In Chassis

Chassis Built and 

Delivered to VOLVO

APU Delivered

Chassis Components 

Complete

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Summary: Reporting Period Objectives

• Accomplishments at 55% Project completion

– Candidate technologies evaluated on concept vehicle

– Demonstrated 43% Freight Efficiency Improvements

– Demonstrated 48% BTE powertrain in vehicle

– Completed Concept selection (Phase I) on schedule

– Started development & integration of technologies into demonstrator (Phase II)

• Next Steps

– Integrate technologies in Demonstrator vehicle for initial tests by next AMR

– Continue on-going operational testing of trailer aero improvements

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Partners & key Collaborations

Organization Key Contribution

Volvo Technology of America Project lead & concept simulations

Volvo Group Truck Technology Complete vehicle integration & vehicle testing

Volvo Group Powertrain Engineering Efficient complete powertrain solutions

Ridge/Freight Wing Advanced aerodynamic devices for trailers

Grote Advanced lighting systems

Penn State University Advanced combustion modeling & simulation

Hendrickson Lightweight trailer axle & suspension components

ExxonMobil Advanced fuels & lubricants

Alcoa Wheels Lightweight wheels

Michelin Advanced low-friction tires

Metalsa Ultra-Light Frame Assembly

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This material is based upon work supported by

– DOE & NETL under Award Number DE-EE0004232

– DOE & NETL under Award Number DE-FC26-07NT43222

– DOE Project ID VSS006, Reduce Truck Aerodynamic Drag w/ LLNL

– DOE Project ID VSS022, CoolCab – Reduce Thermal Load w/ NREL

This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor 

any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the 

accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe 

privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or 

otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency 

thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency 

thereof.

Relevant Research

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