Monday, November 10th, 2008 |
To increase road safety, Volvo, a world-leading truck manufacturer, improves its braking functions for the European market. If customers choose a Volvo truck with electronically controlled Brake System (EBS) in base form, more functios are incorporated to it without the burden of paying extra cost.
Among the additional features now made available by the automaker are Hill Start Aid that prevents the truck from rolling backward when starting on an uphill gradient, and Wheel Brake Monitoring that alerts the driver if the brake force on the wheels abruptly falls.
The EBS system incorporated in Volvo trucks can be ordered in 3 program packages: Standard, Medium and High. The Standard package remains in the base version. Moreover, the Medium version is already equipped with the EBS system. Moreover, the base version has been upgraded with six new functions, available for both semi-trailers and rigids.
EBS system has a number of sensors and valves to monitor and regulate the braking system of the vehicle. Additionally, it is possible now for the wheel and auxiliary brakes to interact with in just a short span of time to effectuate shortest viable braking distance in all sorts of driving situations. The braking force is also distributed optimally between the tractor and trailer. This is done to sustain stability even when braking.
The base range of Volvo trucks is now equipped with 6 functions. The first function is Hill Start Aid, which makes it easier to move off on an uphill gradient by automatically maintaining brake pressure until the engine has built up sufficient torque to move the truck forward without slipping backward. This feature is significant when hauling a heavy load.
Another significant function is the Panic Brake Assistance, which is designed to boost brake pressure in a panic braking situation. The system registers when the driver presses the brake pedal quickly to help cut the stopping distance. Other functions include the Wheel Brake Monitoring, Lining Wear Analysis, and Differential Lock Control. These functions contribute significantly to improve road safety in driving.
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Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 |
The world’s most famous truck manufacturer in terms of safety recently announced that they have recalled a number of their vehicles. The recall covers different models in Volvo’s lineup. The reason behind the recall is the discovered defect on the vehicles’ cooling unit which can cause fire in the engine bay. This development brings to mind the recall announced by Volvo’s parent, Ford, due to reported fires in their Super Duty pickup trucks.
The vehicles found with the fault in the cooling unit is composed of different Volvo models which includes the award-winning VN 610, the mid-size station wagon WG42, the VN64T, and the VNL64T770 models. These vehicles are known for providing good number of safety features and good performance level. While the fault may have posed a risk to consumers, Volvo truck has acted swiftly to prevent any untoward accidents which may happen due to the faulty cooling units. In that case, not even a Volvo vent visor would be of any use to its owner.
The problem was discovered to be a fault in the cooling system with the help of German corporation Robert Bosch which is more simply known as Bosch. It was found out that the cooling unit’s metal cover has inadequate corrosion protection. It was inferred that moisture could eventually find its way to the unit’s electrical components which would then cause severe damage or even the risk of an electrical fire.With regards to the expected reaction of Volvo vehicle owners, a spokesman for Volvo said that “it only relates to a small number of cars and we have contacted all the owners.” The spokesman also added that “if anyone is concerned they should contact their dealer.”`
While for Ford, the problem is in the particulate filter found near the tailpipe, Volvo’s problem is more threatening since fire can start in the engine bay area.The recall was announced after the fault was discovered by Volvo’s technicians following a test conducted on their vehicles. The said test was performed at Volvo’s headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden. The discovery of the problem means that there have been no reported incident of fire caused by the fault in some of Volvo’s vehicle’s cooling units. The Classic trucks manufacturer announced that vehicles are currently being recalled in Britain.
Volvo’s immediate response to the discovered fault shows that they are indeed focused on providing safe trucks for their consumers. Volvo is the producer of the world’s safest trucks. The company is the leading truck manufacturer in terms of developing safety features for their vehicles. Some of the more notable safety features of Volvo vehicles are the BLIS and the ROPS. BLIS stands for Blind Spot Information System. It is essentially composed of onboard cameras which monitors the blind spot of a vehicle. The system warns the driver if any vehicle has entered his or her blind spot. ROPS on the other hand stands for Roll Over Protection System. This safety system uses sensors to maintain the car’s balance therefore reducing the risk of rollovers.
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