Volvo Trucks North America has introduced a first-of-its-kind industry breakthrough powertrain solution called I-Torque. The I-Torque system is now available with Volvo’s latest D13 Turbo Compound Engine and reportedly aims to provide best-in-class fuel efficiency, performance, and drivability.
Volvo designed the I-Torque solution to deliver a 31 percent increase in fuel-efficient speed range, achieving up to 3.61 km/L at speeds of about 137 km/h. Together with the D13 engine, I-Torque works with Volvo’s I-Shift with overdrive, an adaptive gear shift strategy, a new map-based version of the predictive cruise control system I-See, and low gear shift ratios of as low as 2.15
I-Torque uses Volvo’s 13-speed I-Shift with crawler gear to combine the fuel efficiency perks of direct drive with the performance boost and flexibility of overdrive. Through the I-See system and load sensing software, a truck equipped with I-Torque can switch between direct drive and overdrive to prioritize fuel efficiency without compromising performance or productivity.
In today’s demanding and quickly changing transportation business environment, that requires a high degree of flexibility and adaptable truck performance on various terrains and routes, I-Torque is the solution for our customers who need to stay competitive with a truck where fuel economy and optimized performance is taken to the next level without any compromises.
Volvo I-Torque is now available as an option with the D13TC engine that comes standard in VNL sleeper models for the North American market. It’s not immediately clear if Volvo plans to roll out the I-Torque system as a global feature. Although Volvo’s trucking business is present in the Philippines, VNL models are not currently sold in the country.
