Allison Transmission, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of fully automatic transmissions for commercial vehicles, has introduced two new versions of its xFE models for use in medium-duty trucks across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. 
 
Available now, the 3000 xFE and 3200 xFE models are designed for engines producing up to 370 horsepower and 1695 Nm (dependent on the application), and gross vehicle weight up to 28.5 tonnes, said a statement from Allison Transmission.
 
Compared to the standard 3000 and 3200 Series transmissions, these new models can reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by up to 3.7 per cent. The greatest gains are made at speeds below 20 mph (32 kph), depending on axle ratio, and above 45 mph (72 kph).
 
Gradeability, the fully-loadedvehicle’s ability to climb an incline at a steady speed without needing to downshift and work the engine harder, also improves under 30mph (48 kph), said the statement. 
 
These characteristics make the new transmissions particularly well-suited to slow-speed urban applications and stop-start duty cycles such as refuse collection, it added.
 
Sjoerd Vos, Allison Transmission Director of EMEA Marketing, said: "Truck fleet operators everywhere are under legislative pressure to reduce emissions, and of course all fleets would like to reduce their fuel costs."
 
"These new xFE transmissions could be a critical tool in helping OEMs and fleets make a 15 percent CO2 emission reduction by 2025 and 30 percent by 2030, as required by EU CO2 emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles," noted Vos. 
 
"Doing much more with today’s efficient diesel technology is an affordable and environmentally- responsible stepping stone on the path towards electrification and other non-fossil fuel propulsion systems for which we also have suitable propulsion solutions," he added. 
 
Allison’s xFE transmission is proven over millions of miles in service on thousands of transit and city buses around the world. 
 
The xFE primarily increases fuel efficiency by locking up at lower speeds, enabling the engine to spend more time in higher ranges and at lower revolutions per minute (rpm). In addition to reducing fuel consumption and emissions, this also reduces the powerpack’s heat rejection, further improving performance.
 
According to him, the efficiency of Allison’s xFE transmission can add up, across a vehicle fleet, to environmental benefits of surprising significance. 
 
Allison has provided an example simulation of the impact, using the European Commission-developed Vehicle Energy Consumption Calculator Tool (VECTO), for a typical refuse truck and duty cycle, he stated.
 
"Various bus OEMs around the world have selected Allison’s xFE transmissions since their launch in 2015. In addition, the xFE has already been developed for some truck applications," he added.-TradeArabia News Service