Volvo Iron Knight Truck
By tuning in to Volvo Trucks' YouTube
channel on August 24th, you'll be able to watch the 2,400 HP Iron Knight
attempt to set a new international speed record.
Aside from the D13 power unit and its
factory-standard I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission, "The Iron Knight"
is fully custom-built. According to Volvo, it took a unique collaboration
between technicians, designers and engineers in order to come up with such a
powerful machine.
Volvo Trucks are of course no strangers
to performing all sorts of cool stunts, so if you're not demonstrating your
Dynamic Steering System by having Jean-Claude van Damme do an "epic
split" between two moving Volvo FM trucks, you might as well attempt
something a little more realistic such as setting a speed record.
"The Iron Knight is the perfect way
to showcase the competence and innovative power of Volvo Trucks," said
Claes Nilsson, President and CEO of Volvo Trucks. "At the same time, our
aim was to generate new insights into technical and design solutions. The
intention is to transfer some of these to our series-produced trucks."
With its 2,400 HP and 6,000 Nm of torque, the Iron Knight should prove a formidable foe if you're
looking at what it can do from the perspective of gravity.
"In order to beat a world speed
record, you have to have exceptional performance. The I-Shift Dual Clutch is
the best possible transmission for the job since it maintains torque on the
drive wheel during gear changes, just like a racing car does. Thanks to this
The Iron Knight can accelerate without losing vital time during gear
changes," explains Niklas Oberg, Test Engineer.
Aside from its impressive power and
torque figures, The Iron Knight weighs in at around 4.5 tonnes and
has a power to weight ratio of over 0.5 hp/kg. Mods include re-written
software, an aerodynamically optimized fiberglass cab and large air intakes in
the side-skirts.
