After several attempts over the years - none of which ever quite convinced the market - Volvo has unveiled the latest and best low entry cab for refuse collection operations, the FE-LEC. Unusually, however, in an age of increasing corporate centralisation, the finished result did not roll off the main production line in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Credit for the design concept and productionisation of a new low entry cab, based on a Volvo chassis partly goes _#to multi-national French- based waste contractor Veolia (for being the first customer in Europe to place an order for RCVs fitted with the new cab) and partly to product specialists at Volvo Truck & Bus UK, based in Warwick, England. Actual construction of the modified FE cab however is not undertaken in Sweden, or England - it's being produced by Estepe, based in Belgium - emphasising what an international effort the FE-LEC is. Estepe already has experience producing special firefighter cabs for Volvo.
Following a modest launch to the UK press in chassis-only form, Waste Management World transport correspondent Malcolm Bates, is the first technical journalist to try the new FE-LEC in completed form. The first production machine - a 26tonne gross weight 6x2 rearsteer chassis has now been deli_†vered to Veolia for a contract in the UK.
Compaction equipment is Faun 'Variopress', fitted with Zoeller binlifter equipment.
Key features of the new FE-LEC are a 110mm drop 'Kneeling' facility, whereby the bus-style air suspension is dumped to reduce the step height for the crew when entering (or leaving) the cab to just 440mm.
Seating accommodation is for driver and up to three crew members - enough for most collection rounds - while another useful feature is the kerb view window in the lower part of the nearside cab door. On the 'offside' (the driver's side), there is no need for either a kerb window, or even a window in the cab side panel, so these are ke_pt solid.
With first a diesel electric 'hybrid' transmission, then the 'Bio-DME'
low carbon fuelling option, the key feature Volvo has been missing - a competitive low entry cab - is now available. More info from www.volvo.com end
