The Volvo Technology Award is a mark of recognition for outstanding technical advances which contribute to the enhancement of the Volvo Group's high-tech competitiveness and technological expertise. Recipients over the years have included world-famous innovations, such as the Duo prop marine drive, the City Filter used to purify truck and bus exhausts, and Volvo's side airbags (SIPS).
The Volvo Technology Award, which is open to personnel within the Volvo Group, is awarded annually.
The introduction of fossil-free propulsion alternatives for medium- and long-distance truck have been seen as a major tipping point in the move to reduce fossil fuel use in the transport sector. This is where The New Range of Heavy-Duty Electric Trucks project comes into the picture. The heavy-duty battery electric truck developed by the project has provided a robust answer to growing market demands for a fossil-free alternative. The configuration delivers 540kWh of battery storage giving it over 300km of range and a load capacity of up to 44 tons. It is the first-to-market in its segment, with the competition some way behind us. It went into production in week 37 at the Tuve Plant in Gothenburg.
A truly broad product offering
Our first full line up of electric trucks became available for customers to purchase in 2021. Today, Volvo Group is a leader in the electric truck market with a truly broad product offering, including FH, FM and FMX tractor and rigid configurations with more than 15 wheelbase options. This makes our heavy-duty electric trucks the first truly viable product range out there for customers ready to go fossil-free.
Year | Recipient | Description |
| 2021 | Groundbreaking electro-hydraulic system | The novel Common Pressure Rail Hybrid system applied to excavators, resulting in radical improvements in energy-efficiency. |
| 2020 | Remote software update saves time for customers | Volvo Group is first in the heavy-duty vehicle industry to offer customers remote software updates of vehicle components and systems. The engineers behind this solution receive this year’s Volvo Technology Award. |
| 2019 | Electric Site | A ground-breaking project saw autonomous, hybrid and all-electric concept machines electrify a quarry in Sweden. |
2018 | The concept delivers significant improvements in fuel efficiency and productivity, thanks to the use of an electronically-controlled hydraulics system, energy recovery system and pump optimization. | |
2017 | The Volvo Group’s new truck engines are more fuel efficient as a result of their intelligent piston design. Waves have been added to the piston crown to improve the use of oxygen. | |
2016 | The Volvo Group’s position as a world leader in terms of electric buses can largely be attributed to the unique and innovative electric powertrain. | |
2015 | The I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission uses technology from the sports car industry to lift the driveability in heavy trucks to a whole new level. | |
2014 | Volvo Dynamic Steering makes the truck driver’s job both safer and more comfortable. | |
2013 | The I-See system reduces fuel consumption for long-distance transport by up to 5%. | |
2012 | A system that makes a wheel loader up to 15 percent more energy-efficient. | |
2011 | The resultant improvement in system efficiency is yielding fuel savings of up to 15 percent. | |
2010 | A system that maintains the boat in its current position | |
2009 | I-SAM is a permanent magnet motor running on alternating current. The vehicle's braking energy is converted into electricity and stored in the onboard batteries. | |
2008 | The hydraulic suspension arrangement has advanced electronic control that enables the machine to perform consistently, regardless of whether it's empty or full, or driven slowly or at maximum speed. Under favourable conditions not only did it increase the efficiency of the machines by as much as 40%. It also exposed operators to significantly reduced vibrations. | |
2007 | The new family of diesel engines introduced mainly between 2005 and 2007 proved that our engineers had solved the equation of higher performance, lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions. | |
2006 | The common instrument cluster is characterized by a high level of component commonality, unseen by the observer, while at the same time affording a high degree of flexibility with a clearly visible brand identity. | |
2005 | The Inboard Performance System with forward-facing propellers. In simple terms, the propellers in the new system face the direction of travel of the boat. IPS uses pulling and counter rotating propellers, with the drive through the hull rather than the stern. Making boats faster, more powerful, quieter, cleaner - and just as easy to handle as a car. | |
2004 | Volvo Construction Equipment's E-series wheel loaders adopted a holistic view in order to optimize fuel efficiency: every machine component was carefully designed as an integral part of the overall system. | |
2003 | Volvo Link combines satellite technology with the Internet for functions including navigation, traffic information, emergency assistance and two-way communications between trucks and their home bases, regardless of where a vehicle is situated in the world. | |
2002 | I-Shift may be interpreted either literally as "I shift" or as "Intelligent Shift". Since the transmission is genuinely intelligent - not only changing gear itself, but also doing so more efficiently than any comparable unit on the truck market at the time - both interpretations are equally valid. | |
2001 | A completely new form of nozzle cooling known as film cooling. | |
2000 | Wireless transport information system. The system made it easier for haulers to communicate in real time with their vehicles and drivers. |