Autocar adds fuel-saving feature

Hagerstown, Indiana-based Autocar Trucks has announced it is now providing a new technology from Indianapolis, Indiana-based Allison Transmission designed to reduce fuel consumption by up to 6 percent. Autocar says the 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.

Starting in the second quarter of 2017, Autocar says it will install the optional software, configured to optimize fuel consumption and performance according to each customer’s specific preferences. The option will be installed into trucks’ transmission control module, on Autocar’s main production line.

“A typical garbage truck burns 10,000 gallons of fuel a year,” says Autocar’s president, Jim Johnston. “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, adds Johnston.

The FuelSense 2.0 software has been designed to infinitely adjust 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 On-Board Diagnostic system via a screen on the truck’s dashboard, says the company.

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 more than 3 million miles of service by customer fleets in a range of vocations, say the companies. Three different refuse fleets tested the system – one each in the East, Midwest, and far West -- to cover a range of real-world applications and conditions.

“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,” says Johnston. “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.”