“This update, which was made in conjunction with the launch of the new 2017 emission engines, provides our customers up to a 1 percent improvement in fuel economy over the performance of the current version of our Predictive Cruise Control,” says Patrick Dean, Kenworth chief engineer.
Kenworth says its Predictive Cruise Control combines GPS with cruise control to deliver optimum fuel economy. Predictive Cruise Control optimizes cruising speed based on topographical GPS data inputs. As the truck enters certain types of terrain, such as rolling hills, the system modulates cruising speed to optimize performance, the company says. For example, as the truck ascends and crests a hill, Predictive Cruise Control will allow the vehicle speed to drop slightly below the set cruise speed. This boosts fuel economy since the truck is now using momentum instead of fuel to maintain set cruise speed.
“While the driver interface remains unchanged, drivers who have driven Kenworth trucks with Predictive Cruise Control will notice an improvement in driveability, as well as fuel economy,” Dean says. “Improved driveability and fuel economy were made possible by fine tuning how the engine modulates speed and torque over a wide variety of actual driving conditions.”
