http://www.truckingmag.co.uk August 2019 TRUCKING 37
Volvo’s new I-Save package
promises to cut fuel bills on long-
distance work – and two new
D13TC turbo compound
engines are key to its
success. We take them
for a test drive to see
how they compareD13TC engines are at the
heart of Volvo’s I-Save
long-haul packageIN FOR THE
LONG HAUL
By Andy Stewart
PHOTOGRAPHY VOLVO TRUCKS / ANDY STEWARTA
s new truck engines enter
the market to meet
toughening Euro 6 Step D
emissions requirements,
the opportunity to further
refine the diesel combustion process has
led to another across-the-board increase
in fuel economy.
At the end of last year, Swedish
manufacturer Volvo brought out revised
D11 and D13 engines for FH, FM and
FMX that drew on a number of elements
to satisfy the tighter regulations,
including the use of new low-viscous
oils, new piston oil scraper rings with
lower internal friction, a higher
compassion ratio (for 500 bhp D13) and
tweaked engine management software.
Soon after launch, it went a stage
further by announcing two additional
engines specifically tailored to benefit
long-haul operators. Labelled D13TC,
these 13-litre lumps come in 460 and
500 bhp flavours and incorporate a
turbo compound (TC) system which uses
an extra turbine, mounted after the
turbo, to collect excess heat from
exhaust gasses and feed power back into
the crankshaft. This delivers an
additional 300 Nm to the wheels,
bringing the engines’ torque figures up
to 2600 Nm and 2800 Nm respectively.
Another bonus is Volvo reckons the TC
engine uses up to 40 per cent less AdBlue
than standard eSCR lumps.
More torque means less acceleration
and fuel is needed to keep a steady speed
on the highway. The theory is you can
drive in a higher gear at lower rpms,
which is why it’s such a good fit for
long-haul. And with 70 per cent of
Volvo’s European truck sales going to the
long-haul sector, the manufacturer is
obviously looking for a significant
take-up of this new technology.I-Save, you save
The powerplants are offered as part of
Volvo’s I-Save package, which is claimed
to cut fuel use by up to seven per cent
compared to a vanilla D13 Euro 6 Step D
when operated over long distances.