Peterbilt Motors Company announced this week at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show it will debut Over-the-Air (OTA) updates for the Paccar MX engines and aftertreatment systems beginning in December.
Peterbilt says the technology will leverage the existing SmartLINQ Remote Diagnostics hardware and the Paccar Solutions portal, along with a new mobile app, to deliver secure software updates remotely.
“The ability to perform Over-the-Air software updates represents a major enhancement to customer uptime. Peterbilt customers can now download the latest software anytime, anywhere, without the need to travel to a dealer location,” says Jason Skoog, Paccar vice president and Peterbilt general manager. “The new Paccar OTA mobile app works seamlessly with the Paccar Solutions portal to provide a fast and secure connection and the ability to manage single units or the entire fleet, furthering efficiency and ease of use.”
Peterbilt says OTA functionality will be available to Class 8 Peterbilt customers with an engine model year 2017 or newer Paccar MX-11 or MX-13 Engine and an active SmartLINQ subscription. Beginning in December, Peterbilt says customers will be able to request the software updates via the Paccar Solutions portal. The Paccar OTA mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices.
With the introduction of Over-the-Air updates, Peterbilt says it has expanded a comprehensive suite of uptime services offered on its vehicles and supported through the fastest-growing Class 8 dealer network in North America. Over 113,000 vehicles are equipped with SmartLINQ Remote Diagnostics functionality and customers are able to manage service events online through the Paccar Solutions Service Management portal.
Peterbilt announces spec’ing updates
Peterbilt also announced this week it has enhanced capabilities and new features for the next generation Bendix Wingman Fusion collision-mitigation system and expanded availability for the Paccar 12-speed automated transmission.
Peterbilt was Wingman Fusion comes standard on the company’s Model 579, and next-generation features include:
- Highway Departure Braking (HDB): Building on the Fusion system’s existing lane departure warning capability, HDB provides an audible alert to the driver and, if necessary, applies the foundation brakes to reduce vehicle speed up to 20 mph/32 kph if the system determines the vehicle has left the roadway unintentionally.
- Multi-Lane Emergency Braking (AEB): Multi-lane AEB can help the driver mitigate both the first, and potentially second, crash situation when more than one highway lane is blocked. Once a collision mitigation braking event begins and the driver steers into an adjacent lane to avoid the forward vehicle, the new Multi-lane AEB feature continues to apply the brakes – if needed – when it detects another forward vehicle blocking the path in the new traffic lane.
The new features will be available on Model 579s in the first quarter of 2020.
“The Model 579 is already established as the Peterbilt flagship for on-highway customers. With the addition of these new collision-mitigation features, the 579 further cements its position as a driver-preferred truck with excellent active and passive safety systems,” says Skoog “With enhanced driver safety and productivity, customers can expect increased profitability and peace of mind.”
Finally, Peterbilt will make its 12-speed automated transmission available to its light vocational customers early in 2020, says Peterbilt Chief Engineer Scott Newhouse.
“Peterbilt’s on-highway customers have been delighted with the performance, durability and smooth shifting of the Paccar transmission. Our vocational customers have been eager to get it in their trucks as well,” he says.
The transmission will be available with the Paccar MX-11 or MX-13 with up to 510 horsepower and 1,850 lb.-ft. of torque. Maximum gross combined weight will be 110,000 lb.
“The Paccar transmission represents a step change in drivability and performance over previous automated manual transmissions,” says Newhouse.
The new configurations are available to order now for 2020 delivery, the company says.
