Volvo Trucks Launches New 13-Liter Engine Platform Built for Alternative Fuels
Volvo Trucks has introduced a new in-house developed 13-liter engine platform, offering two variants — the D13 diesel and G13 gas — positioned as the most fuel-efficient combustion powertrains the company has produced. Both engines are designed around fuel flexibility from the outset, with compatibility extending to biodiesel, HVO, biogas, bio-LNG, and future green hydrogen applications.
The D13 delivers between 380 and 560 horsepower with torque ranging from 1,800 to 2,900 Nm. The G13 gas version covers 420 to 500 horsepower and 2,400 to 2,800 Nm. Both variants comply with Euro 6 standards and meet the requirements of New Noise Regulation Phase 3, with the architecture described as built to absorb future legislative requirements.
Volvo claims up to 4 percent lower fuel consumption compared to the outgoing engine, based on simulations of a Volvo FH 42-tonne configuration running the new D13 with Cruise Control, I-See, and I-Roll with engine stop/start functionality against the previous D13 eSCR unit in representative European conditions. The figure is conditional on using the full stack of available fuel-saving features, which will now be accessible to a broader range of customers through the new platform. Actual consumption varies with load, topography, speed, and driver behavior.
Technical changes include a revised engine brake for improved drivability, new cylinder and turbo designs, and an updated version of the I-Shift transmission. Many diesel variants support I-Roll with engine stop/start, allowing the engine to cut out and the truck to coast downhill — a fuel-saving mode previously limited to a narrower product range.
The new engines will be offered across the Volvo FM, FMX, FH, and FH Aero model lines. Sales are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2026, with initial production at the Skövde facility in Sweden and truck assembly at Tuve, Sweden and Ghent, Belgium. The launch sequence starts in Europe, Morocco, Turkey, and India, followed by North and Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
Volvo Trucks frames the new platform within its three-path decarbonization strategy — battery electric, fuel cell electric, and combustion engines running on renewable fuels — targeting net-zero emissions by 2040. The combustion path is not treated as a transitional concession but as a parallel track for markets and applications where electrification timelines remain uncertain. The fuel flexibility of the new platform is the primary argument for that position.