Volvo Trucks is doing its bit to helping the global battle against the coronavirus outbreak in an unexpected way. It has donated 102 Volvo FL windscreen wiper motors to a project being run by a group of engineers at the VUB university in Brussels. The team is racing to develop a low cost, easily produced ventilator using existing components from non-medical fields, ahead of Belgium’s expected infection peak in the second week of April.
Team leader Jonathan Sterckx said “We tested a wide variety of motors over the past week, and the wiper motors turned out to work well in this unique setup. The motors have to meet certain specifications, such as 40-50rpm, 50W continuous output and a solid construction with a steel shaft that can absorb radial forces. The wiper motors of trucks are stronger than those of passenger cars, and while these also work, those of the trucks will have a longer life expectancy. Several companies from the truck and automotive sector have already pledged their cooperation for this project. We are very grateful to them for their enthusiastic cooperation."
“We think this is a wonderful thing, and we hope that this VUB project can inspire more support to save lives from our sector as well.” added Peter Himpe, vice-president of Volvo Trucks Benelux.
