volvo buses | technical details of 7700 hybrid revealed ashok leyland

N e w s Commerc ial Vehicles
/ / / exclusive
Volvo Buses | TECHNICAL DETAILS OF 7700 HYBRID REVEALED
In what is claimed to be a significant move
towards a viable environmental solution for
buses in urban areas, Volvo Buses India unveiled
the 7700 Hybrid bus at the recently held Auto
Expo in New Delhi. Dubbed the only commerciallyviable hybrid on the market, the Volvo 7700 is
said to be 50 % more environment-friendly in
terms CO2, nitrogen oxides and particulate emis-
sions and offers 35 % more fuel-efficiency than
a conventional bus of the same category.
In an exclusive chat with Auto Tech Review, a
company spokesperson said that an important
building block of the 7700’s technology was the
downsizing of the diesel engine from the usual 7 l
to 5 l. The engine is assisted by an electric motor
and this powertrain combination is mated to an
automated mechanical gearbox, all of which are
designed and manufactured in-house by Volvo.
The powertrain system is designed to shut
when idle, thereby leading to improvement in fuel
and carbon emission efficiency. Once back in
motion, the bus can solely be powered by a 120
kW electric motor deriving its power from a 600 V
battery. This motor also acts as an electric retarder and charges the battery under braking.
Once the bus reaches speeds between 15 to 20
kmph or when the first gear shift takes place, the
diesel engine kicks-in automatically. This significantly reduces emissions and increases fuel-efficiency in dense traffic conditions.
Efficiency is improved further by removing
auxiliary loads from the engine by using an electric air-compressor and an electric hydraulic
steering pump. In order to reduce the load further
from the engine the AC unit derives its power
from the electric motor. A unique feature of the
7700 Hybrid is that all electronic equipments, including the AC, can be used without having to
crank the engine.
Arpit Mahendra
Ashok Leyland | New Solutions For Passenger, Goods Applications
Ashok Leyland launched two new products at the
Auto Expo targeting the passenger and goods
movement sectors. The company launched the
Jan Bus, designed specifically for Indian cities
and usage patterns. Jan Bus is the world’s first
single-step entry, front-engine, fully-flat floor bus
and India’s first city bus to feature an automated
manual transmission.
The seats are side-mounted and hence offer
more legroom to passengers in all rows and also
make the cleaning process easier. The floor is
just 650 mm above the ground and is flat right
from the driver’s seat to the rear, thereby eliminating the need to climb any steps post entering
the bus. The bus is equipped with wide doors,
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making entry and exit easier and quicker. Door
placement is customisable and can be opted in five
different spots along with multiple seating options.
The bus is powered by a 235 hp turbo-charged CNG
MPFI engine, compliant with BS IV emission norms
and is mated to an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) – LEYMATIC®.
The company also launched a heavy-duty truck,
the U-3723 H, India’s first 37-tonne truck with a
maximum payload capacity of 27 tonnes. The new
truck is based on Ashok Leyland’s U-Truck platform,
which is aimed at rolling out efficient and technically advanced trucks. The U-3723 H features five
axles, including twin-steerable front axles, two rear
axles and a self-steerable pusher lift axle at the
middle, which enhances the payload capacity.
The truck is powered by a 225 hp ‘H’ series
engine mated to a nine-speed gearbox.
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Tata Motors | Unveils Ultra & Lpt 3723 Commercial Vehicles
Tata Motors used the Auto Expo platform to unveil two new commercial
vehicles – a new LCV & ICV range called Ultra and the LPT 3723, India’s first
five-axle rigid truck. These vehicles will be up for sale sometime close to
mid-2013. The new Ultra LCV & ICV range will include variants with payload
capacity ranging between 5 and 14 tonnes. The range will be powered by
new-generations of a 3 l, 138 hp and 5 l, 168 hp DiCOR engines, which are
claimed to be more durable and silent.
The LPT 3723 is a five-axle rigid truck with a maximum payload capacity
of 25 tonnes, making it ideal for moving heavy goods. The truck is powered
by a Cummins 6BT 5.9 l engine producing 154 kW and is mated to a ninespeed gearbox. The five-axle configuration consists of twin-steerable front
axles, twin rear drive axle and a middle tag-lift axle designed to reduce tyre
wear and fuel-consumption.
Amw | Three New Vehicles Unveiled
At the Auto Expo in New Delhi, Asia Motor Works
(AMW) unveiled three next-generation vehicles,
inclu­ding two new trucks – 4928 TR tractor
and 2528 TP tipper, and a new front engine bus
called Magnus. The three vehicles are scheduled to
be launched in 6-8 months in the range of
` 15 to ` 30 lakh.
Designed by AMW, the 4928 TR is a 49-tonne
tractor, powered by a 267 hp, common-rail, electronically-controlled, Cummins diesel engine, which
is mated to a nine-speed Eaton gearbox. The 2528
TP also uses the same Cummins diesel engine,
along with a nine-speed ZF gearbox. These trucks
will help AMW to further strengthen its existing
26 % share in the 25-tonne and above tipper
segment. The 4928 TR has been developed for
cargo movement across cities, while the 2528 TP
is developed to cater to mining and construction
segments. Both the trucks have air-conditioned
cabins and are claimed to meet global standards
of aesthetics, safety and ergonomics.
The Magnus bus will help the company
expand its product segment and compete with
the likes of Volvo. Magnus is the first front-engine, twin axle bus in the country and will be
manufactured at AMW’s Bhuj facility in Gujarat.
Bharatbenz | First India-Made Product Revealed
Daimler Truck’s subsidiary, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) revealed
the new BharatBenz brand heavy-duty truck recently, it’s first-ever truck ‘Made
in India’. With this, Bharat Benz announced its entry into the Indian CV sector.
Marc Llistosella, Managing Director and CEO of DICV called this a successful
synergy of Indian engineering and German DNA.
The Indian CV market is the third largest in the world today, boasting a volume
far above 300,000 units in 2011. DICV has announced it would launch an entire
range of trucks with a capacity of 6 to 49 tonnes, and will unveil this range in
March this year. The heavy-duty truck revealed recently is based on the MercedesBenz Axor platform, while the medium and light-duty trucks will be based on the
Fuso Canter and Fighter platforms. BharatBenz’s entire range will be BS III compliant and have been claimed to have gone through four million kilometre of testing
at the company’s test track near Chennai. Moreover, these products will come with
over 85 % local content, sourced from over 450 suppliers across India.
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