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Volvo's Mean Green Semi Breaks Records in Utah

By Jake Lingeman

By AutoWeek May 2, 2012 1:38PM

Volvo Mean Green. Photo by Volvo.




The Volvo hybrid truck, a.k.a. Mean Green, achieved two world speed records at Wendover Airfield in Utah, one for the standing kilometer and one for the flying kilometer. It didn't hit its planned top velocity of 165 mph, but 147 mph is still a respectable speed for a truck originally meant for hauling trailers down a highway.


During the flying kilometer (0.62 mile), drivers get a small distance to gain speed before beginning the run. The standing kilometer is done from a stop. The Mean Green truck topped 95 mph in the standing kilometer.


The semi has a modified aerodynamic body but is composed mostly of Volvo production components. Mean Green gets power from a tuned Volvo D16 engine and a modified version of the company's I-Shift gearbox. It has an electric motor providing 200 of the truck's 2,100 hp and 885 of the truck's 5,000 lb-ft of torque.


“We are very pleased with Mean Green's performance, especially at such a high altitude,” said Boije Ovebrink, Mean Green's driver and owner. “We knew Wendover would present challenges because it's more than 4,200 feet above sea level.”


The speed records were verified by the United States Auto Club, which is a branch of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. The new records should be recognized by the group in 30 to 60 days.


The truck's previous records were 135.9 mph in the flying kilometer and 94.6 mph in the standing kilometer. The runs were completed in June 2011 at the Hultsfred Airport in Sweden.


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20Comments
May 2, 2012 4:34PM
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Apply some of those fuel saving devices/mods to more trucks and who knows how much fuel will be saved. Even if it's just 1 mpg, times that by how many trucks in America traveling how many miles per day? A lot.
May 6, 2012 5:32AM
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Regardless of the maker and type of vehicle, research and advancement is a good thing...
May 5, 2012 11:11PM
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Actually, Volvo DID get out of the car business.  They sold their automotive business to Ford, which then re-sold to Geely.  The AB Volvo mega-conglomerate is the second-largest truck builder in the world, the largest aerospace engine builder in Scandinavia, and has various other subsidiaries for construction equipment, boat engines, and various other things you wouldn't expect, including (you guessed it) tractors.  Cars?  Who needs cars?
May 6, 2012 3:27AM
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I wonder what the MPG rating for that high speed run was?
May 6, 2012 10:28AM
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why would they bother building a truck that can go faster, the speed limit is 65-75 most places. i think getting better mileage would be more relevant. i don't think i want to be driving down the highway with an 80,000 lb. semi passing me at 135 mph.
May 6, 2012 5:38AM
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Maybe the USPS should buy a fleet of these, then we'd maybe get our mail and packages quicker!
May 6, 2012 5:53PM
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I'm still wondering why VW doesn't sell the diesel Polo here (over 80+ mpg),  Subaru doesn't sell the diesel version of the Legacy here (over 50+mpg) and I don't know how many other mainstream manufacturers diesel versions that would probably sell fairly well here.  Ford has the excellent Fiesta with a diesel available in the rest of the world (60 mpg).  Don't they want us to save fuel ?  What would you rather drive ?  A nice, roomy, luxurious Jaguar XF diesel that (if driven carefully) can get close to 50 mpg, or a Prius ?
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So what i want to know is why are the eletric motors not on all trucks that are on the road to add for more power and better mpg .
May 6, 2012 12:13PM
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Lat time I looked the World Record for most mileage was held by a Volvo 1800.  It would be interesting to see what kind of mileage inprovements they got at highway speeds. I'm betting that a good part of the gain came from aerodynamic improvements, that's the reason that conventional trucks are more popular than cabovers.
May 6, 2012 7:22PM
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Steve, they don't sell vehicles like that here because money hungry big oil simply will not allow it as it will cut too much into their profits.

What makes oil companies more  money? A car that gets over 80+ MPG or a car that maybe gets 30 MPG?

My dad told me once about a carburetor that got 80 MPG. Only heard of it once and never heard of it again. It is probably sitting on some oil company's dusty shelf in the back room alongside other gas saving devices.



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