Volvo Trucks North America and North Carolina State University (NCSU) announced that two supplier and fleet partners have been chosen for their mobile idle reduction technology (MIRT) field operational test.

A total of 22 MIRT units from Mechron Power Systems and Cummins will be used during the field test. Volvo, through a grant provided by the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport program and administered by NCSU’s Solar Center, will evaluate different MIRT systems and will enable truck buyers to purchase prep kits to allow easy aftermarket installation of MIRTs. Volvo has selected electric MIRT designs for idle reduction and elimination.
Prototype installations of the two MIRTs were first shown at Volvo’s display at the Mid-America Trucking Show in March. The field test is planned to begin in July, with 10 systems from each manufacturer being tested in trucks from two customer fleets operating throughout the U.S.; each fleet will have five units from both Cummins and Mechron.
An additional two non-fleet trucks will test the systems to provide an owner operator perspective. The fleet trucks will include 10 Volvo VN 630s with 61-inch sleepers and 10 Volvo VN 780s with 77-inch sleepers. The owner operator trucks will be Volvo VT 880s with 77-inch sleepers.
One of the fleets is a furniture hauler based in the northern tier of states, while the other fleet is a food products transporter based in the southern tier of states. Results from the field test will be evaluated by NCSU, with final results and a report provided to EPA by mid-2008.
Idle reduction is an important element in the goal of improving air quality through reducing diesel emissions. MIRTs can reduce fuel consumption and diesel emissions by eliminating the need for drivers to idle their engines to provide power for heat, air conditioning or electrical current for onboard equipment during non-driving or rest periods.
Truck idling consumes about one billion gallons of diesel fuel annually, according to the SmartWay program, which translates into extra costs for truck fleets and additional wear on engines, as well as the additional diesel emissions.