Late next year, Volvo will start field testing 14 trucks fueled with dimethyl ether, a biomass-derived fuel. DME is produced by gasification of biomass materials, with the syngas converted to a fuel through a catalytic process. The Volvo development program is being paid for in part by the Swedish Energy Agency and the European 7th framework program. DME evidently works well as fuel in diesel engines but offers much lower particulate and NOx emissions. There are however issues that need to be addressed. DME has poor lubricity compared to conventional diesel and is stored similar to liquified petroleum gas in low pressure storage tanks at about 5 BAR. The field tests are part of a European program that will also look at DME distribution and storage. The field testing in Sweden will occur over a three year period.

[Source: Newspress.co.uk]

One of the big contributors to rising food prices over the past year has been the cost of getting food from the field to the grocer. Truck drivers across Europe and especially in the UK have been protesting increasing fuel costs for months. The U.S. Department of Energy is partnering with the Swedish government and one of the largest manufacturers of heavy trucks - the Volvo group - to find ways to reduce the fuel consumption of those trucks. The two governments and Volvo have already previously committed $12 million to the joint development program and this week announced an additional $36 million dollars. The two governments will each contribute $9 million of the new funds with the rest coming from Volvo. The goal is to reduce fuel consumption of the truck engines by 10 percent. The program will evaluate biofuels in heavy truck engines as well as develop advanced transmissions, new engines and hybrid drive systems.

[Source: Department of Energy]

Every single major automaker is investing heavily in an attempt to meet the demand of emerging markets such as Eastern Europe and China. The industry has termed this group of developing nations the "BRIC's", which stands for Brazil, Russia, India and China. These markets are currently smaller than other major markets, but they won't be staying that way for long. Obviously, the giants in the automotive industry would like to step in and stake their claim before anybody else does.

Here is a press release which shows just how much money stands to be made in these emerging markets. Remember, it takes money to make money, or so they say, so expect to see more announcements similar to the above press release in the near future. The article highlights Volvo's monetary commitment to a plant which builds large heavy duty diesel engines for trucks, as well as gearboxes. The article also mentions that money will be spent on "environment-enhancing measures" but leaves it at that.

[Source: Volvo]

Hot on the heals of the announcement that Wal-Mart is researching dual-mode, diesel-electric drivetrains in its massive truck fleet is the news that Volvo Group has proven its I-SAM hybrid truck technology. Volvo Group, in partnership with the US Air Force has shown that its I-SAM (Integrated Starter Alternator Motor) technology can deliver fuel savings of up to 35 percent, depending on application and driving conditions in heavy-duty applications.

Volvo's Mack Trucks has received four contracts from the US Air Force to develop hybrid-powered trucks, a number of which will be built in 2007. Customer field testing and eventual production is scheduled for 2008 through 2009 with a potential heavy-duty hybrids market of around 300,000 vehicles waiting for the technology's arrival. Volvo's heavy-duty hybrid trucks pair a traditional diesel engine with an electric motor via a Volvo I-Shift automated mechanical transmission. The electric motor can generate around 160hp / 119 kW and works in conjunction with a power/electronics box; an energy storage box; and a powertrain control unit to provide instant torque, which helps improve efficiency.

Related:

• Wal-Mart orders diesel-electric hybrid truck prototype from ArvinMeritor
• Wal-Mart redesigning its trucks for greater efficiencies

[Source: James Menzies / Truck News]

There are so many toxins and emissions produced when building a car or truck that making manufacturing plants cleaner can go a long way in greening up an automaker's image. You can see by the list of related stories linked to below that this is a fact not lost on the auto companies. Good on 'em.

Volvo is the latest automaker that is trying to produce cars in a more environmentally sound fashion. While not as dramatic at, say the Subaru plant in Indiana, Volvo Trucks' cap plant in Umeå, in Northern Sweden, will soon switch to painting the cab and the components together in a new topcoat paint facility. Volvo says this new facility will cost about SEK 138m (£10.2m, or about $19.7 million US) investment that will see more robots installed, as well as a new inspection and adjustments box.

Related:

• Three Toyota plants get EPA energy star award
• Nissan Assembly Plants Get EPA Energy Star Award
• Raw materials go in, Subarus - and nothing else - come out of zero-landfill factory
• Ford turns paint fumes into fuel

[Source: Volvo]