The main attraction at the Volvo stand at the recent Australian Bus and Coach Show was a simulator of the big Swede’s “dynamic steering” system
Volvo had a simulator as the centrepiece of its large stand near the entrance of the show pavilion.
The company says VDS increases safety by self-centring, keeping a heavy vehicle heading straight ahead in that common regional Australian scenario of having to drop off the bitumen while passing another vehicle or, heaven forbid, if you have a steer tyre blowout.
The big Swede says dynamic steering has been operating successfully in trucks in Western Australia. The system is available now in its Euro 6 B8R school/charter bus and, from mid-2017, in Euro 6 city buses and Euro 5 coaches.
In order to reduce the risk of work-related injuries, Volvo Buses introduced Volvo Dynamic Steering (VDS), which makes manoeuvring a bus considerably easier.
A study carried out by VTI, the Swedish National Road and Transport Administration, examined muscle strain while driving both with and without VDS, and recorded how much the driver benefits from the system. In the tests, activity in the various muscle groups was measured in left turns, right turns, while negotiating a roundabout and when driving straight ahead.
The results reveal that on average, VDS cuts muscular strain by 20 to 30 per cent, for certain manoeuvres by up to 70 per cent.
Video: Barry Ashenhurst