Volvo Trucks to Showcase Mobile Idle Reduction Technology
22 March 2006
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| The Cummins Comfortguard MIRT system. |
Volvo Trucks North America will display two trucks equipped with mobile idle reduction technology (MIRT) at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky on March 23-25. Truck idling consumes about 2 billion gallons of diesel fuel annually.
MIRT systems reduce the need to idle trucks, while providing drivers with electrical power for their personal comfort and non-driving needs.
At the show, Volvo will display the Cummins ComfortGuard and Mechron CCS Lightning MIRT systems installed on Volvo trucks. Both the Cummins and Mechron systems include an onboard 120-volt AC generator, eliminating the need for the truck’s engine to idle for power.
Each unit will also be wired to provide shore power electricity (electricity delivered to a parked truck from electric mains) to power driver amenities. The Mechron system also includes an AC-powered heating/ventilation/air conditioning system for use when the truck’s engine is stopped.
The ComfortGuard diesel Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) consists of a two-cylinder engine and a high-performance electric generator. Cummins calculates that while a main engine idling will consume about 1 gallon of fuel per hour, the two-cylinder diesel APU will consume only 0.22 gallons per hour. The company estimates annual fuel savings per truck of up to 8%, based on 2,000 hours of ComfortGuard operation per year.
The Mechron CCS Lighting system is also based on a two-cylinder diesel, this one driving a 6kW Mechron generator.
The US Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership recently awarded Volvo a grant to develop a factory-installed prep kit to make the mounting of MIRT systems easier and less expensive.
The grant calls for Volvo’s system to be compatible with multiple MIRT systems. Volvo is partnering in the MIRT development project with the North Carolina Solar Center at North Carolina State University.
Volvo's habrid approach strikes me as more sensible. The batteries would surely suffice for heating the driver cabin and providing interior lighting at night.
Perhaps haybrids are too expensive for the US market, where diesel costs 50-65% of what it does in Europe. If so, the APU at least avoids running the main engine at very poor efficiency for extended periods of time.
What's unclear is why they would need 2 APUs - or did I misread that?
Posted by: Rafael Seidl | 22 March 2006 at 08:21 AM
There are two APUs mentioned because it appears that two competing manufacturers are releasing similar products. Each APU will be displayed on its own demonstration truck.
In colder climates, truck drivers will idle their engines while resting not only to power their electrical amenities, but also to keep the cabins and engine blocks warm. While tapping a hybrid's battery pack might suffice to run the driver's electrical equipment overnight, it would require a very substantial amount of energy to supply all the needed heat. Combustion engines have a surplus of waste heat, which in this case can actually be tapped for useful purposes. APUs based entirely on conventional technology are also likely to be cheaper and easier to install than a hybrid package.
Posted by: NBK-Boston | 22 March 2006 at 01:25 PM
Why not just use a fuel fired heater for heating the way European trucks do eg Eberspaecher. That way you don't need to hit the electrical energy store so hard so then you can just use a large comfort electrical system batteyr for the driver. That way you don't need an APU at all!
I was stunned on visits to the US to see an entire parking area of trucks at a Interstate rest stop just sitting there idling.
Unbelievable waste.
Posted by: Ruaraidh | 23 March 2006 at 02:57 AM
Why use a 500 HP diesel to keep one human comfortable? APU's provide power to 1) electrically heat the truck's sleeper cab. 2) provide power to run the air conditioner in hot weather (often more important than heat). 3) provide AC power to run appliances. 4) keep the truck's batteries charged 5) provide power to start the vehicle if the batteries go flat. The APU's smaller diesel can be jumpstarted by an automobile. Heavy Duty diesels have 4 12 volt batteries on board, an APU equipped truck can get by with only 2 12 volt batteries. The APU's smaller diesel shares the cooling system with the main engine to keep the engine warm in winter, improving starting. The APU will pay for itself in 18 months & does not rely on any shore power
Posted by: Scott | 23 March 2006 at 08:32 AM
While it is good to see that volvo is moving toward a No idling solution, It looks like they are not thinking very far into the futre, The EPA is already considering placing idling regulations on APUs. I have found that the NITE system is the best solution I have found. It is also one of the cheapest, having slept in trucks while idleing an apu and the engine, the NITE system reminds me of home. no lawnmower running outside just the nite system running on deep cycle batteries. I hope volvo continues to develop no dile solutions that do not include APU's, look at freightliners solution.
Posted by: Cobra250 | 28 March 2006 at 09:08 AM
I have a 730 volvo on order I hope one of these APU is going to be avaible at the factory level before my build date jan.15 07
Posted by: Robert ash | 05 October 2006 at 02:37 PM