A hybrid system powers the Volvo Concept Truck, one of the few hybrid trucks on the market

The electrification is one of the goals manufacturers have set for the coming years. And it doesn’t only concern cars: trucks are also moving into this hybrid world. Admittedly, much more slowly. The Volvo Concept Truck is one of these trucks, still at the prototype stage, which uses a hybrid drivetrain that offers all the advantages of this type of vehicle and will improve the truck’s consumption and efficiency.

This hybrid system works by using the energy produced by braking or generated when driving downhill on gradients steeper than 1%. This energy is converted into electricity and sent to the batteries, where it is stored until it can be used on flat terrain or on gentle slopes. It is a technology we are very familiar with in other types of vehicles, such as cars, but in trucks it is more complex, since it requires more power and its use is more demanding.

The Volvo Concept Truck allows the combustion engine not to run for 30% of the driving time, achieving fuel savings of between 5 and 10%. The capacity of the batteries it uses allows a fully electric driving range of around 10 kilometres. The driver-assistance systems I-See, developed in-house by Volvo for its hybrid vehicles, allow the engine to select the most suitable operating mode at any given moment.

With the help of this system, the truck analyses the topography it will encounter over the next kilometres of its route. Depending on the type of terrain ahead, it activates the most appropriate drive configuration. It can use the diesel engine, 100% electric driving, or hybrid mode, depending on the needs of each moment.

https://youtu.be/uV-54LlSbcw

Via | trukinginfo