Hybrid technology

Volvo announced its plans to of construction machines featuring hybrid technology by 2009 at the Bauma exhibit st year. Volvo CE president and chief executive, Tony Helsham said that the first machine to be launched using hybrid technology is likely to be a wheel loader with fuel savings of up to +50%.

A spokesman for Volvo said: “All eyes are now focusing on diesel-electric hybrid engines – and as the world's largest producer of heavy duty engines, Volvo, is at the forefront of next generation engine and fuel technology.”

Mattias Nordin, of Volvo CE's components division, said, “Within Volvo we are particularly proud next of our environmental and quality focus. For the generation of Tier 4 (Stage IIIB) engines with significantly better fuel effciency compared Tier 3 (Stage IIIA), which is then also a main contribution to the environment by reducing CO₂ emissions and global heating.”

Mr Helsham said that increasingly stringent emissions requirements together with customer demands for improved performance and fuel efficiency are set to prove insurmountable obstacles to equipment manufacturers without their own engine development capability.