According to Autocar, FuelSense 2.0 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.
The company says the product has been proven to reduce fuel consumption up to 6 percent.
“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,” says Jim Johnston, president at Autocar.
The savings in fuel is directly related to an identical reduction in emissions, something appreciated by many environmentally conscious fleets, the company adds.
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. Autocare says 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, the company says.
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. The company says 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.
“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,” Johnston says.
