Bendix announced Wednesday that several leading-edge capabilities of Bendix Wingman Fusion with Enhanced Feature Set are now available to be retrofitted through the Bendix Upgrade Program.
Bendix says its Enhanced Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Enhanced Stationary Vehicle Braking (SVB), and Multi-Lane AEB can be added to trucks equipped with earlier versions of the fleet-proven and road-tested Bendix Wingman Fusion collision mitigation system. The upgrades are available for certain models manufactured by International Trucks, Kenworth Truck Company, Mack Trucks, Peterbilt Motors Company, and Volvo Trucks North America.
“The AEB and SVB enhancements build on the original Fusion capabilities and allow for earlier detection, warnings, and – if necessary – interventions,” saysTJ Thomas, Bendix director of marketing and customer solutions, Controls. “Multi-Lane AEB was previously unavailable on earlier iterations of Fusion and would be an entirely new feature for helping drivers navigate the challenging situations they encounter on the roads every day.”
Bendix launched Wingman Fusion in 2015, integrating radar, camera, and a vehicle’s brake system to create its flagship driver assistance system. Since then, Bendix has regularly expanded and improved the capabilities of Fusion through advancements such as providing full braking power on the tractor and earlier object detection. Bendix Wingman Fusion with Enhanced Feature Set introduced even more improvements beginning in 2019, the company says.
Additionally, with locations in over a dozen U.S. states, the Bendix network of Authorized Upgrade Centers (AUC) includes dealers and distributors that facilitate the installation of the company’s advanced safety systems on existing vehicles. Only Bendix-certified AUC technicians have the required knowledge, training, and specialized tools and techniques to perform these advanced safety system upgrades.
“While Bendix upgrades are available across a wide range of vehicle makes, models, and years, each individual upgrade is engineered for a specific vehicle to ensure a proper fit and correct operation,” says David Schultz, Bendix director of aftermarket business development. “Although the upgrade process is generally a matter of a few hours, it’s highly technical work to integrate the new capabilities with the equipment already on a vehicle.”
Bendix says all upgrades are covered by the Bendix warranty program and supported by the company’s post-installation network of driver and technician training materials, VIN tracking, and access to its full complement of technical support resources and tools.