Volvo Trucks has developed the I-SEE system, which is based on kinetic energy to save fuel. I-SEE works as an autopilot, making the gears and using the slopes to save fuel.
Energy is neither created nor destroyed, it only transforms, the French chemist Antoine Lavoisier enunciated. With this premise Volvo wondered how to take advantage of the kinetic energy that emerges when the vehicles stop and that becomes heat, is it possible to turn it into another type of energy?
It seems that yes, through the new I-SEE system. I-SEE takes advantage of the kinetic energy of the truck itself to “push” the vehicle when the slopes rises. In the descents the same energy is used to accelerate.
With kinetic energy, 5 % fuel can be saved,
the I-SEE system is linked to the gearbox inclination sensor and obtains information about topography. The fact that the system does not depend on the maps makes it more reliable, because it always obtains the most current information. The I-SEE system can register about 4,000 earrings at a distance of 5,000 kilometers.
"I-SEE is an automatic pilot who is linked to the truck speed programmer, takes care of the gear change, accelerator and braking in the earrings, to ensure that everything works in the way that contributes the most to low consumption. I-SEE Activates the dead point as much as possible, so that in certain road sections nothing is used. Trucks
"In this way, fuel consumption can be reduced by up to 5 %. This figure is based on the results of simulations and tests on public roads. I-SEE requires the use of the speed programmer, and we know that the average driver uses this programmer approximately half of the time. For a truck with a normal operation, which travels 140,000 kilometers a year, the savings will be 1,000 liters of fuel per year. This constitutes a large difference for the profitability of transport companies, ”says Hayder Wokil.
The maximum effect on small pending
I-SEE carries out six different operations to take advantage of kinetic energy to the fullest. For example, I-SEE accelerates at the climbs, maintains a high march as much as possible and puts a dead point in the descents to take advantage of the weight of the truck as a propulsion engine.
"I-SEE works best on undulating land. In moderately long and pronounced slopes, I-see guarantees that long distances can be traveled without using the engine," explains Anders Eriksson, who was responsible for the development of i-see.
"Its ability to go in the deadness is what makes the system so special," he adds. When the truck circulates in the dead point, fuel is practically not used. But to circulate in the dead, many data are necessary. "It requires incredible precision. For example, it is necessary to know if the speed will be reduced or increased in the following road section. A slope with a low gradient can be the decisive factor," says Anders Eriksson.
Other factors that constitute a difference are aerodynamic resistance and truck weight. Said all this, the system has to follow and process a lot of information.
"I-SEE mimics the driving style of good drivers. They use the kinetic energy of the vehicle, accelerate in a timely man and avoid unnecessary gear changes," says Hayder Wokil, who continues to say, "but unlike a driver, I-See never tires, it is like an automatic pilot."
This allows the driver to focus more on surrounding traffic and other aspects of the trip. Even more, traveling the road is more relaxed.
