Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2024 - 17

VEHICLE FEATURE
" Roughly 90% of the truck is brand new. We looked at the
requirements for the coming decades. "
- Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America
regulations come that permit us to do so. It's built into
the basic design. We're expecting the system to be
available in Q4 of this year or Q1 next year. "
Smooth operator
New for the latest VNL is an optional air suspension
system, which Volvo dubs its GRAS (Global Rear Air
Suspension). The system utilizes dual leveling rods to
reduce roll and pitch angles, improve lateral stability
and minimize road shocks while maintaining a constant
ride height.
The GRAS and the supporting Volvo Smart
Suspension software integrate with Volvo's Dynamic
Steering system to provide precise steering control
and reduce driver fatigue regardless of load, terrain,
road condition and varying engine torque levels. The
system can toggle between three different settings to
adjust the suspension for different loading and unloading
conditions.
The exterior design has been streamlined for the
new VNL courtesy of a " more angular, wedge-shaped "
cab design in addition to the redesigned windshield.
Additional aerodynamic improvements include tighter
clearances around turbulent air areas like wheel openings,
the bumper, hood and chassis fairings, as well as
a tighter trailer gap. These designs were developed
and tested in parallel with Volvo's SuperTruck 2.
" There's a lot of learning we brought into the new
VNL from the development of SuperTruck 2, "
Agebrand said. " The aerodynamic shape, especially
the windshield, was developed and tested alongside
the SuperTruck. The SuperTruck has a slightly narrower
hood, but the ground effects package was developed
in conjunction. We really utilized SuperTruck
to draw a lot of learnings for this product. "
Volvo claims a 10% net gain in fuel efficiency from
these changes in addition to the powertrain improvements.
" We saw a net gain of 3% from the powertrain
and roughly 7% on aero improvements, " Agebrand
said. " But we have also seen a 10% improvement from
the new aero alone during our own testing. "
Order up
Production of the next-gen VNL will begin during the
third quarter of 2024 at Volvo's New River Valley Plant
in Dublin, Virginia. Volvo stated during its press conference
that VNL order books should be open by the
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
All VNL cabs are constructed of high-strength steel and the frame rails are flared
to allow the powertrain to drop down below the cab to protect the driver in the
event of a collision.
The VNL's exterior design borrows heavily from Volvo's SuperTruck 2, particularly
the sloped wraparound windshield and the wedge-shaped cab.
end of March or the beginning of April. The legacy VNL will be produced
in parallel throughout 2024 before being phased out.
" The new VNL is not a European design that we just carried over, "
Voorhoeve stressed. " This truck has been designed completely from
a U.S. perspective. Our goal was to design a truck based on what
customers wanted. And that's what we've done based on all the
feedback we received. "
April 2024 17
BOTH IMAGES: VOLVO TRUCKS
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2024

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