Proving once again that green technology and performance can come in the same package, Volvo has shattered its own record for the world's fastest hybrid truck.
The Sweden-based company's modified diesel-electric haul tractor, dubbed "Mean Green," beat its own top speed April 27 at Wendover Airfield in Utah.
The truck, which is equipped with a diesel engine and electric motor that generate a combined 2,100 horsepower and 5,000 lb-ft of torque, ran the standing kilometer at 153.2 km/h, or about 95.2 mph, and the flying kilometer at 236.5 km/hr, or roughly 147 mph.
The rig previously set the standing kilometer record at 152.2 km/hr and the flying kilometer at 218.7 km/h last year at Hultsfred Airport in Sweden.
"We are very pleased with Mean Green's performance, especially at such a high altitude," says Boije Ovebrink, the truck's driver and owner.
To prepare it for the world speed attempt, technicians had to de-tune the engine's power by about 20% to compensate for the altitude at Wendover, which is about 4,200 ft above sea level. The aerodynamic truck, which runs on renewable liquid-rosin diesel, also sports a hybrid battery, automated manual transmission and rear axle set with a 1.85:1 gear ratio.
The speed record attempt was sanctioned by the United States Auto Club, a member of the global Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and is pending final FIA certification.
