December 17, 2006 Last February, Volvo Trucks launched the FH16 - the market’s most powerful truck for commercial transport - with a new 16-litre engine and power levels of 660 hp and 580 hp and torque of 3100 Nm and 2800 Nm respectively. Now the range has been further extended with an engine variant of 540 hp and torque of 2600 Nm. The 540 hp 16-litre engine has been developed primarily for hauliers in the 40-tonne segment who often drive on hilly roads. It provides the necessary prerequisites for high average speeds and in combination with the Volvo Engine Brake (VEB+) and the I-Shift intelligent gear-shifting system it offers excellent driveability.
“In today’s logistics chain ‘just in time’ delivery is vital and consequently high average speeds are a competitive advantage for transport companies,” says Stanley Olsson, FH16 business unit manager at Volvo Trucks. “Especially for those operating on demanding hilly routes, this new engine variant can contribute to higher transport efficiency.”
The high power output means it is possible to maintain speed uphill, even at higher gross combination weights. Thanks to the high engine braking ability of 425 kW that VEB+ offers it is possible to drive safely downhill with minimum use of the wheel brakes. In fact, VEB+ often replaces the need for a retarder.
The 540 hp engine can be fitted with either I-Shift, which is a 12-speed electronically controlled mechanical splitter and range-change gearbox, or a manual 14-speed splitter and range-change gearbox.
All three power levels of the D16 engine are available in Euro 4 versions, with exhaust gases after-treatment with AdBlue and SCR catalytic cleaning.