Volvo might be best known for what they bring to the tar in terms of two wheels. However, while retaining their core, they're branching out from pavement to rail.

That's right; Swedish automaker Volvo is contributing to the SARTRE project. SARTRE, for readers, who maybe haven't heard of the initiative before, stands for Safe Road Trains for the Environment. It's kind of a slogan really - one Volvo believes in and is standing behind with all of their transportation acumen. In fact, Volvo is the sole automaker participating in the project.

What exactly do stakeholders hope the SARTRE project will accomplish? That's an excellent question to which there is a potentially life-changing answer. Ultimately, the goal is for the entire road train to be finished by 2012. Yes, this year.

Already Volvo and fellow SARTRE collaborators have tested three road train cars led by one lead truck. These are the primary parts, which will essentially compost the finished road trains - one lead truck followed by multiple cars. With no more than 19.68 feet between vehicles, the test train has proven capable of traveling safely at speeds of nearly 56 miles per hour.

The SARTRE project is being driven by a total of seven European partners. The collective is the only one of its kind to invest time in investigating and developing road-train technology that will eventually be implemented on European highways. Or, least, that's the hope. There are still matters concerning terminology and infrastructure to work out.

Why bother? Well, there are a lot of benefits to bringing the SARTRE project to fruition. The most compelling, though, is substantial energy savings.

Stay tuned to learn even more about Volvo and the development of the SARTRE project. Weston Volvo, located at 3650 Weston Road in Davie, FL 33331 is your local source for Volvo world news. In the meantime, remember you can always explore all of Volvo's automotive innovations in our Ft Lauderdale area Volvo inventory, online.