Volvo Trucks to Begin Production and Testing of Bio-DME Vehicles in North America
Volvo Trucks announced Thursday it plans to begin limited production in 2015 of dimethyl ether (DME) powered heavy-duty commercial vehicles. It's teaming up with Safeway and Oberon Fuels for a test funded with $500,000 from California's San Joaguin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
Volvo Trucks in North American announced plans to begin production in 2015 of vehicles powered by Dimethyl Ether, a fuel that mirrors the performance qualities and energy efficiency of diesel. DME also burns clean without producing any soot.
Volvo Trucks announced Thursday it plans to begin limited production in 2015 of dimethyl ether (DME) powered heavy-duty commercial vehicles, the first manufacturer to do so. It's teaming up with Safeway and Oberon Fuels for a test funded with $500,000 from California's San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
It will be the second customer field test conducted by Volvo Trucks in the U.S.
DME mirrors the performance qualities and energy efficiency of diesel, and burns clean without producing any soot, Volvo says. It can be made from a variety of sustainable domestic sources, as well as from North America’s abundant supply of natural gas, and therefore has the potential to significantly reduce energy dependency.
Converting natural gas to DME is an innovative way to address many of the distribution, storage and fueling challenges otherwise presented by natural gas as a heavy truck fuel, Volvo says.
“With the addition of DME-powered vehicles to our previously announced CNG and LNG offering, Volvo’s Blue Power line-up will offer the industry’s most comprehensive approach to the developing North American alternative fuel market,” said Göran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North American Sales and Marketing. “We believe the fuel shows great potential for the North American market, and when produced from biomass, it can provide a 95% reduction in CO2 compared to diesel."
Volvo’s DME technology will be available in a Volvo D13 engine, and the company’s I-Shift automated manual transmission will be standard on DME-powered trucks.
Two DME-powered Volvo VNL models equipped with a Volvo D13 engine will run in the San Joaquin Valley region of California in Safeway’s commercial operations using Oberon-produced DME.
Oberon is the first company to announce plans to commercialize DME fuel production in North America, and has developed skid-mounted, small-scale production units that cost-effectively convert biogas and natural gas to DME.
The addition of DME-powered vehicles expands Volvo’s alternative fuel product range, which already includes compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered Volvo VNM and VNL model daycabs.
Volvo also will introduce its proprietary D13-LNG (liquefied natural gas) engine – North America’s first fully integrated natural gas solution – in VNL model daycabs and sleepers next year.
Learn more in this video from Volvo and Oberon:
Related Stories:
Senior Editor Tom Berg offers more in-depth insight from Thursday's event:Volvo Thinks the Fuel of the Future is DME – and It’s Almost Here
August 2012:Successful Field Tests of DME in Europe Prompt Volvo to Consider the Alternative Fuel for U.S.
More Fuel Smarts
DTNA Software Update Gives Truckers More Time Before DEF Derates Take Effect
The changes reflect EPA guidance aimed at reducing downtime caused by emissions-system faults while maintaining compliance requirements.
Read More →
New Agentic Predictive Maintenance Report Demonstrates How Degraded Aftertreatment Systems Waste Fuel
Questar analyzed a large mixed-class fleet and discovered it was wasting as much as $30 in fuel per vehicle, per day, because of mechanically degraded aftertreatment systems.
Read More →
New York City's Microhub Project is Delivering Results
Trucking, last-mile delivery companies, and environmental advocates like what they are seeing so far with New York's microhub program.
Read More →
Lessons Learned About Alternative Fuels: Start Small, Stay Flexible
Practical advice on adopting alternative fuels and ZEVs from HDT's 2026 Top Green Fleets, from renewable diesel and natural gas to electric trucks.
Read More →
Kempower Adds Flex EV Charger to Help Support Transition to Megawatt Charging
The Kempower Mega Satellite Flex has both a CCS and MCS connector, allowing operators to serve both types of heavy-duty vehicles.
Read More →
Hino Adds Electric Class 6/7 Truck
Hino says the Le Series is an important step in the company's efforts to reduce environmental impact and support its customers’ sustainability goals.
Read More →
Can Multi-Speed EV Transmissions Solve Heavy Trucking’s Biggest Electric-Vehicle Problems?
A startup called Sigma Powertrain believes purpose-built multi-speed gearboxes can boost efficiency, reduce battery size and improve gradeability for heavy-duty battery-electric trucks.
Read More →
Hendrickson Debuts Electraax E-Axle for Medium-Duty Trucks
Developed with Driventic, Hendrickson's new integrated e-axle is designed to improve efficiency, reduce weight, and extend range in Class 6-7 EV applications.
Read More →
50 Ways Fleets Can Cut Fuel Costs Now — Without Buying New Trucks
Fuel savings don’t come from one big change. They come from dozens of small ones. Here’s how leading fleets are stacking gains across drivers, routing, maintenance, and more.
Read More →
Top Green Fleets 2026: How Fleets Are Reducing Emissions in the Real World
What works in sustainable trucking today? Heavy Duty Trucking's Top Green Fleets are finding practical ways to cut fuel use, reduce emissions, and keep freight moving.
Read More →