Björn Brattberg and Sven-Åke Carlsson of Volvo Construction Equipment got the Volvo Technology Award for 2012 for their work on OptiShift, a system that makes a wheel loader up to 15 percent more energy-efficient.

“I know the passion and enthusiasm all our engineers throughout the Group have for their work, and it is a great pleasure for me to be able to honour two of them for the development of OptiShift”, says Olof Persson.

To the customer, OptiShift offers an improvement of up to 15 percent in fuel economy while reducing wear and tear on the powertrain, delivering lower operating costs. Gear changing is also smoother, making the operator’s working environment more comfortable. Other advantages include faster acceleration, improved hill climbing and shorter operating cycle times. OptiShift was introduced as a standard feature on the company’s bigger models in 2011.

“In collaboration with their colleagues, the winners have made a pioneering breakthrough by applying high-quality engineering expertise. OptiShift will bring significant benefits to our customers while reducing the impact on our environment,” says Olof Persson.

In technical terms, the system consists of two functions. When a wheel loader carries a load over longer transport distances, a lock-up function can reduce the engine revs. With OptiShift, the lock-up function is used during a larger part of the work cycle, which saves fuel.

When the operator wishes to change direction OptiShift senses the loader’s speed, direction and accelerator position, and brakes the machine by applying the service brakes automatically. This results in faster loading cycles, reduced load on the powertrain, smoother changes in direction and lower fuel consumption.

Source:cmbol.com