Connecting fleets has been a major focus for many automakers at the NACV (North American Commercial Vehicle) show in Atlanta, Ga. One such company is Volvo Trucks, which has reached a big milestone and made a couple of big announcements.
Volvo Trucks announced that it has connected more than 200,000 connected vehicles in North America, as of October 28, which is part of the more than 560,000 connected trucks globally, and one million connected vehicles in Volvo Group worldwide. Its customers—C&S Wholesale Grocers and Ploger Transportation—also participated in the 2019 Run on Less Regional initiative driving Volvo VNRs at the show.
Keeping in line with the trends at the show, Volvo Trucks North America also made a big announcement, as it relates to fuel efficiency. The company introduced the FlowBelow Tractor AeroKit, which includes a system of wheel covers and fairings designed for improved aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.
This kit is designed to be a complete system to minimize turbulence and improve aerodynamics by surrounding the drive wheels to better manage the air that moves around the tractor while in motion. It consists of wheel covers, a center fairing between the wheels, and a rear fairing behind the wheels. Together, it helps maintain control of the airflow from end to end, keeping the air running along the side of the truck and around the wheels. In addition to improving the efficiency of the truck, the kit also provides a variety of styling options with the wheel covers.
Volvo Trucks will begin offering the FlowBelow wheel covers and fairings separately, as well as the full FlowBelow Tractor Aero Kit, by the end of 2019, and will offer factory installation of the FlowBelow system in the second quarter of 2020.
Finally, Volvo Trucks addresses another need in the trucking industry. Transport companies often need to adjust their operations to accommodate regulations such as federal or state bridge laws, length laws, or weight limitations. Enter the new VNR 660 model, which expands its offerings for regional-haul applications with specs related to length, weight, and driver comfort.
It features a shorter length that offers both weight savings from decreasing the overall size of the truck and the option to use more versatile tractor-trailer combinations for increased cargo capacity and a higher roof that makes it more comfortable. It also comes standard with the Volvo D11 engine, the Volvo I-Shift transmission, and VADA (Volvo Active Driver Assist), which is the recently updated comprehensive collision mitigation system. The new VNR 660 will be available for order in the first quarter of 2020.
The announcements from Volvo Trucks are in line with many of the other announcements from the show—helping bring more efficiency, comfort, and connectivity to trucks.
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