Indian driver excells in Volvo's fuel economy challenge

Published: Monday, April 25, 2011, 16:33 [IST]

Swedish truckmaker Volvo has a global presence and has been operating in India as well. With a production facility in the outskirts of Bangalore Volvo has been churning out top quality trucks and buses. The company is focussed on reducing the fuel consumption of its vehicles and has invested heavily on research. As per its analysis an effective driver can help reducce fuel consumption by as much as 30%. Hence Volvo offers training to drivers of heavy vehicles.

In an effort to create awareness in drivers Volvo organised the Volvo Superwatch Competition in which the winner will be chosen based on fuel economy. The competion in India was held at Dhanbad, Jharkhand in October 2010. Three best performing drivers were chosen to compete in the Volvo Asia Fuelwatch Competition. The indian drivers faced competition from drivers from other asian countries. Mr Gosula Venkata Suresh, who hails from Andhra Pradesh and an employee of
Krishnapatnam Port Co Ltd(KPCL) achieved the highest fuel efficiency in the testing conditions of Gothenberg, Sweden. He was declared the winner by Mr Lars Martensson, the Environment Director at Volvo Trucks Corporation.

Mr Somnath Bhatacharjee, President, Volvo Trucks India said: "The objective behind the Fuelwatch Competition is to set fuel efficiency benchmarks in actual driving conditions and
create greater awareness about fuel-efficiency among drivers through improved driving behaviour as well as fleet operators resulting in improving total cost of ownership. Volvo Trucks is the first company in India to conduct such a competition." He also spoke extensively about Volvo's latest initiatives to reduce emissions, new research on fuel use and Volvo's endeavour of training drivers to become more efficient.

Article Published On: Monday, April 25, 2011, 16:15 [IST]

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