TOM STONE, IVT INTERNATIONAL
generation
PETER GRANQVIST, VOLVO PENTA’S NEW CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, TALKS
ABOUT THE COMPANY’S LATEST STAGE V ENGINES AND SPECULATES ON
HOW THE TRIPLE REVOLUTIONS OF ELECTRIFICATION, CONNECTIVITY AND
AUTOMATION WILL HELP SHAPE THE POWERTRAINS OF THE FUTURE
What’s in an engine?
Traditionally one might have
said the important elements were
fuel lines, air intake, a combustion
chamber and pistons to transfer the
energy. But, increasingly, engines are
becoming far more complex than
that. With the advent of electric/
hybridelectric systems, connectivity,
automation, and ever-tighter
emissions regulations the very
fundamentals of what makes an
engine are beginning to change.
It is into this world that Peter
Granqvist stepped a year ago when
he joined Volvo Penta as its chief
technology officer, although it wasn’t
all new to him. Granqvist brought
with him a wealth of experience
in the field, joining from Denso
Corporation, where he spent many
years developing advanced powertrain
solutions, with recent focus on
connectivity and automation.
“It was a really good fit, I think,”
Granqvist tells iVT, “because Volvo
Penta is on a journey now to, of
course, continue to develop
conventional powertrain solutions
with diesel engines, but also to move
into these new areas. I have
14 iVTInternational.com September 2019
background knowledge in both the
traditional and the new areas.”
In 2019 Granqvist has overseen
the launch of Penta’s Stage V range,
which will be on display at
Agritechnica in Hanover this
November. “Volvo Penta has created
a full range of engines for our OEMs,
that are all Stage V compliant,” he
says. “We have from five liters to 16
liters, and from 105 to 575kW.
“We are focused on total cost of
ownership, maximizing uptime for
our customers, and reducing fuel
and AdBlue consumption. Cooling
capacity is sometimes an issue. So
we have really tried to reduce the
cooling need and make our engines
more efficient.
“We have a close-couple DPF,
where the SCR would normally be,
and then we have the SCR a little bit
further from the engine because that
is technically possible to do. So we
think we have made it as easy as
possible for the OEM to install.”
Granqvist is grateful that Volvo
Penta has been able to draw upon
expertise from across the Volvo
Group – challenges experienced in
the on-highway segment with
Euro 6 regulations mirror some
aspects the demands of Stage V.
“To secure up time we have
focused a lot on trying to avoid
specific DPF regeneration periods in
the cycle the period where particles
are burnt off ‘cleanly’ from the DPF.
We have found a very sophisticated
way of getting high temperatures
into the DPF without having high
loads. So we avoid the operator
having to do a specific cycle. So –
and this may not be expected when
you go to Stage V – you save fuel.
We can actually save up to 5%,
depending on the application and
cycle. So it’s a very strong package.”
Looking to the future
Of course, Stage V is just the latest
small step on the road to a cleaner,
more efficient future for off-highway
engines. One that will involve
technological input from a wide
variety of disciplines. As CTO, it’s
Granqvist’s job to keep one eye on
where the industry is heading.
“There is a clear need, not only in
our business, but across automotive,
for cleaner power solutions,” he says.
“One way to achieve this is
New
/iVTInternational.com
