Volvo Trucks Asia Pacific Fuelwatch Challenge

A decade of dedicated effort towards fuel saving, driver development

- N. Balasubramanian

‘Every drop counts’. Thus goes the tagline of Volvo Trucks Fuel watch Competition. This year’s Asia Pacific Fuel watch Challenge showed exactly how and why.  India’s national off-road Fuel watch champion Anil Reddy from SV Engineering Construction (SVEC) was edged out by Janghyun Son of Korea to the top spot in a tantalizingly close finish at this year’s event in Sweden in September. Anil did not win the top prize, but he did win the hearts of the global gathering at the one-of-its-kind annual event organized by Volvo Trucks, a leader in sustainable transport solutions across the world.

The Asia Pacific Fuel watch Challenge, born as an idea in Korea in 2007, has evolved into an annual event conducted with the aim of optimizing performance at minimum cost to businesses, society and the environment. The Challenge emphasizes the massive impact smart and efficient driving could have on the fuel economy which in turn significantly optimizes operating costs and sustainability for the transport industry. In its first decade, 15,000 participants have become ambassadors of the Fuel watch community, sharing skills and technical knowledge picked up at the event to promote a more fuel-efficient industry.

The Falkenberg Racetrack on the outskirts of the town of Varberg in Sweden was where the most fuel-efficient drivers from the Asia Pacific region battled it out for the top spot at the 10th edition of the Asia Pacific Fuel watch Challenge. The competition saw Hsu Chin-lung from Taiwan bag the top honors in the onroad category, while Janghyun Son from Korea came out on top, among five contestants in the off-road segment, marginally ahead of Anil Reddy from India, who finished runner-up.