Class 8 trucks par excellence
As we explained last week, much of the show focused on Class 8 trucks. We told you about the Daimler and Navistar exhibits last week (more about the former later); this week, we’ll bring news of some of the other exhibits – and we’ll also take a peek into the future.
Viva Volvo
Volvo Trucks launched its spectacular new VNR 660 at the show; it’s a truck that’s been developed for regional-haul applications and, were yours truly to be an American trucker, I would be mighty happy to be driving this truck all day every day!
The company didn’t actually have a VNR 660 on the stand (the very first units were only scheduled to go into production the week after the fair; deliveries kick off in the first quarter of 2020). But I was able to hop into its slightly smaller brother, the VNR 640… and it’s just ridiculously plush inside! There’s lots of space for things like a fridge, microwave and television – and there’s storage space galore too. I rather like the Volvo Premier Trim package, which includes wood-grain trim for the dash and cabinetry (it reminds me of a Bentley or Rolls-Royce). Two people can sleep inside the VNR 660 (this is useful in the States, where team drivers are often in use).
The VNR 660 is lightweight (in order to boost payload) and it also has a short bonnet design. The latter is terrific for the driver, because visibility is improved while the truck is also more manoeuvrable in tight urban areas and docking spaces.
Models in Volvo’s VNR range can be equipped with one of two engines: the Volvo D11 (242 to 317 kW) or Volvo 13 (280 to 373 kW).
Kenworth and Toyota join forces
Kenworth showed a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), which has resulted from a collaboration with Toyota Motor North America (the two companies are building 10 zero-emission Kenworth T680s). So far, Kenworth has built four of these FCEVs, and the chaps at the company’s Renton, Washington factory are currently hard at work on their fifth such truck.
Kenworth is supplying the T680 chassis and cab, motors, transmission and cooling systems. Toyota, on the other hand, is providing the fuel cell stacks, hydrogen tanks, load balancing batteries, and other components necessary to deliver the high voltage to the motors, in addition to the controls for that power.
The company’s first FCEV, which will commence duty at the Los Angeles port at the end of this year, will have a range of about 483 km.
Peterbilt heads down electric avenue
Over at the Peterbilt stand, battery electric vehicles were the talk of the town, with the company showing three electric trucks (the Model 520EV for refuse collection, the 579EV for regional haul and the 220EV for city delivery applications).
The 520EV features a TransPower Energy Storage Subsystem with a total storage capacity of 308 kWh. It is driven by a TransPower Mid-Ship Motor Drive Subsystem with up to 320 kW (430 hp), it has a range of about 160 km and it can be charged in four hours.
The 579EV also has a TransPower Energy Storage Subsystem, but it has a total storage capacity of 264 kWh. It is driven by a Meritor Blue-Horizon Mid-Ship Motor Drive Subsystem with up to 320 kW (430 hp), it features a range of about 214 km and the charging time is a mere one hour when using a fast-charging system.
The 220EV – which has a range of more than 160 km and the same one-hour recharge time with a fast-charging system – is powered by two TransPower battery packs with a total storage capacity of 148 kWh, and a Meritor Blue-Horizon two-speed drive e-axle with up to 250 kW (335 hp).
Prices for these trucks will be available in the second quarter of 2020, which is also when the company will start taking orders. Low volume production of these units starts at the end of 2020.
The future is looking good!
Daimler didn’t miss the “trucks for the future” party either – and we spotted some uber cool futuristic trucks on its stand. They were slightly smaller than the trucks we’re accustomed to though. Allow us to explain …
Recently, one of Daimler’s brands – Western Star – approached the ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles and asked its students to design the trucks of the future.
The students met this task with aplomb, coming up with some really clever concepts. On display on the Daimler stand, for instance, was a model of a futuristic snow plough. Now, because I live in South Africa, I don’t have a huge amount of experience with snow. But I’m told that ploughing the stuff can be hazardous, because the ploughs toss snow, ice and rocks and creates walls of snow along the sides of the road. So, one student designed a plough that actually swallows the snow, heats it and vaporises it.
Here in South Africa, we have more experience with cement mixers – and the students were also tasked with coming up with a futuristic design for this type of truck. As the designer learnt, moveable chutes and drums are a safety hazard for drivers of cement mixers. They (the drivers, that is) often slip or fall, or they get struck by equipment. The solution? A truck which boasts all the controls (for both the truck and mixer) inside the cab.
There were a number of other innovative models on display too – such as a dump truck sans A-pillars (this improves visibility, of course) and a crane truck with an electro-translucent roof that goes from solid to clear at the push of a button – also for better visibility.
Within the field of trucking (we cannot comment on other industries), the future is going to be a great place to be!
Photography by Fabien Calvet, Oliver Wilms, Charleen Clarke and Volvo Trucks
