In Volvo Trucks’ latest live test film ‘The Epic Split’, Hollywood action star Jean-Claude Van Damme performs one of his world-famous splits between two Volvo FM trucks as they are driven in reverse.
Van Damme is seen standing on the mirrors between two trucks as they reverse down a course getting further and further apart. The ability to hold Van Damme at just the right distance apart is supposed to show the ability of the new Volvo steering system to be very precise.
“The film is the perfect demonstration of the directional stability Volvo Dynamic Steering can offer,” said Jan-Inge Svensson, the engineer behind the development of the system's software at Volvo Trucks. “The stability and control are so good that you can reverse a truck over a long distance with very high precision, which is exactly what we've had to do in this film. It had to be perfect, right down to the last centimetre.”
“The capabilities of the system not only help make a great film, they are also very practical for truck drivers, especially in situations where a lot of steering input is needed,” said Svensson. “For example, reversing in tight areas or over rough terrain. When reversing with a trailer, small changes to the steering can make a big difference to the vehicle's direction and the effort required from the driver in an ordinary truck can be much higher. However, Volvo Dynamic Steering will help the driver maintain a straight line and provide far superior control of the truck.”
The video is part of a series Volvo have been releasing over the past eighteen months, involving daring stunts and the new FH truck. The first saw tight rope walking crossing between trucks, another saw the Volvo President standing on an upended truck suspended over the water and the most recent has seen a Volvo truck involved in the running of the bulls in a small Spanish town.
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