Autocar Trucks the first truck OEM worldwide to provide a new fuel-saving technology

Autocar Trucks the first truck OEM worldwide to provide a new fuel-saving technology

Autocar Trucks announced today it is the world’s first truck manufacturer to provide a new technology from Allison Transmission proven to reduce fuel consumption up to 6%. The announcement was made Tuesday at the Green Truck Summit and NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis.

The dramatic fuel savings is achieved by proprietary software called FuelSense® 2.0, which controls an Autocar truck’s fully automatic Allison transmission and reduces the load on the engine when possible.  Beginning next month, Autocar will install the optional software, configured to optimize fuel consumption and performance according to each customer’s specific preferences, into trucks’ transmission control module, right on Autocar’s main production line.

Autocar’s president, Jim Johnston, explained the benefits for both municipal and private fleets can be significant.

“A typical garbage truck burns 10,000 gallons of fuel a year. With FuelSense 2.0 Max, our customers can save over $1,500 per year in fuel costs at the current price of diesel. That’s free money that goes straight to the bottom line.”

The savings in fuel is directly related to an identical reduction in emissions, something appreciated by many environmentally conscious fleets.

While the FuelSense 2.0 software is ideally suited for refuse applications, it provides fuel savings in a range of vocations that involve frequent starting, stopping, and idle time. The software infinitely adjusts shift points dynamically via a learning algorithm to optimize engine output depending on the load. A range of additional options may be selected by Autocar customers to save fuel while the truck is coming to a stop, at idle, and while accelerating. The fuel economy achieved can be monitored directly on Autocar’s unique On-Board Diagnostic system via a screen on the truck’s dashboard.

Autocar is taking orders effective immediately for FuelSense 2.0 in both diesel and CNG applications, and for both Allison 3000 Series™ and 4000 Series™ transmissions. Testing by Allison covered over 3 million miles of service by actual customer fleets across a range of vocations. Three different refuse fleets tested the system -- in the East, Midwest, and far West -- to cover a range of real-world applications and conditions and to prove the level of savings achievable.

Johnston added, “I have to say I’m especially pleased Autocar is the first truck OEM in the world to bring this advantage to our customers in full scale production. It shows that we work really hard to bring meaningful innovations to the market first. And we thank Allison for having the confidence in us to lead their introduction in trucks, globally.”