News & updates

The UK newspaper the Guardian’s “Green Living Blog” has rated the top 10 green iPhone applications. Volvo’s application to motivate individuals to lower their CO2 emissions, Commute Greener, was ranked as no. 4.

Washington, DC - At the Renewable Energy Technology Conference & Exhibition (RETECH 2010) the Volvo Group today announced its first academic partnership in North America. Penn State was chosen as part of Volvo’s Academic Partner Program, which was launched globally in 2009 for research cooperation with selected universities.

Volvo Group’s ground-breaking work to eliminate harmful chemicals from the production process is now being intensified in response to stricter requirements regarding the components in finished Volvo products. “We should always be able to quickly respond when asked whether a certain chemical is present anywhere in our products," says Inge Horkeby, the Volvo Group’s Director of Environmental Affairs.

In February, Volvo Trucks will be starting field tests of methane-diesel engines. The technology will be tested in commercial operation together with a number of Swedish customers. “We are doing this so as to offer the market a superior combination of environmental properties, energy efficiency, driveability and low maintenance costs,” says Gunnar Ekwall, product manager for Volvo Trucks in the Nordic region.

In less than ten minutes, Volvo’s specially-built articulated haulers clear the snow off the runways at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport, thus allowing businesspeople to get to their meetings, tourists to reach their holiday destinations and cargo to be delivered the world over.

In connection with the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the Volvo Group unveiled Commute Greener, a service which transforms your mobile phone into a personal CO2 calculator with connections to Social Networks like Facebook. People world-wide have already started using the service and are competing to reduce CO2 emissions. The most frequent CO2 reduction target set by the users is 20%, which is equivalent to changing your commuting behaviour during one working day per week.

A truck’s axles are subjected to immense stress and strain every day, year after year. To ensure they are rugged enough to withstand the toughest situations without having to over-dimension them, Volvo Trucks is using an entirely new test rig for wheel axles in its product development. It is the largest of its kind in the world and can handle full-scale tests of axle assemblies up to 32-tonne bogies, making it unique in the truck world.

Volvo Trucks will be the first manufacturer with an efficient diesel engine fuelled by a mixture of methane gas and diesel. The engine meets the strict Euro 5 exhaust emission standards introduced in 2009. Field testing will start in Sweden and the UK in 2010. “This unique technology allows us to combine the advantages of gas with the diesel engine’s high efficiency rating, which is about 30-40 percent superior to that of the spark plug engine,” comments Lars Mårtensson, Environmental Director Volvo Trucks. “As a result, this truck consumes considerably less energy than traditional gas trucks do.”

Volvo Construction Equipment goes standard fit with CareTrack with the backend system being supplied by WirelessCar. CareTrack will be available standard from January 2010 on all larger machines, along with a 36 month no charge activation.

In the midst of the ongoing recession, Volvo Trucks has been preparing for a forthcoming market upswing. The aim is quality-driven production with a firm focus on more intelligent working methods and continuous improvement.