Volvo Trucks North America has partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a package of vehicle components for the Volvo VN to deliver high fuel efficiency and low emissions.

Trucks ordered with this set of components are eligible to receive EPA's SmartWay Tractor designation.
"Volvo's partnership with EPA in the SmartWay program grows from our core value of environmental care, which influences virtually everything we do at Volvo," said Peter Karlsten, Volvo's president and CEO.
The components required for the SmartWay-eligible designation reduce fuel consumption and minimize emissions include:

• Engines certified to the new '07 emissions standards
• Enhancements to reduce wind resistance, including integrated high roof fairings, fuel tank side fairings, side fairing gap reducers, aerodynamic bumpers and aerodynamic mirrors
• Anti-idling options
• Low-rolling resistance tires.

Tractors meeting these specs can have a special SmartWay decal displayed inside the cab.
EPA has developed a similar program for manufacturers of trailers. The agency estimates that more than one million barrels of oil would be saved if 30 percent of the trucks and trailers sold industrywide in 2007 were SmartWay tractor-trailer combinations.
Beginning later in the second quarter, Volvo customers will be able to specify a SmartWay-eligible tractor component package when ordering their trucks. The required components will be specially identified in Volvo's truck ordering system so that carriers participating in the SmartWay program can ensure their new trucks qualify for EPA's public designation.
Volvo has long been known for the fuel efficiency and aerodynamics of its trucks. In fact, 78 percent of Volvo VNL (long hood) sleeper cabs sold in 2006 - nearly 19,000 tractors - were equipped with the full aerodynamic package called for by the SmartWay program. Volvo also offers low-rolling resistance tires and systems to reduce the need for overnight idling of truck engines.
The SmartWay tractor-trailer is a component of EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership, a public-private program designed to improve the transportation industry's fuel efficiency and reduce its emissions. SmartWay also provides public recognition for companies that meet its challenging standards. Volvo has been a member of the SmartWay Transport Partnership since 2003 through Volvo Logistics North America.
More information on the SmartWay Transportation Partnership is available at www.epa.gov/smartway.