New xFE transmission from Allison delivers 8 percent fuel economy improvement for Nottingham City Transport

New T3280 xFE™ fully automatic transmission completes successful year-long trial 

NOTTINGHAM, UK – An ADL Enviro 200 city bus equipped with Allison Transmission’s new fully automatic T3280 xFE™ has delivered an 8.15 percent improvement in fuel economy over a 12-month test period in regular operation. Designating extra fuel economy, xFE is a new series of bus transmissions offering the same space claim and ratings as current models, with optimized gear ratios coupled with Allison’s FuelSense® Max package.

Nottingham City Transport began the trial in June 2014 on bus 390, which served routes 40 and 42, transporting passengers to and from the City Hospital and the St. Ann’s part of the city. Running its previous Allison T280 transmission since 2013, the bus achieved an 8.15 percent improvement in fuel economy while driving the exact same daily route when switched to Allison’s new xFE transmission.

“Last year, we turned to ADL, Cummins and Allison to help us be more efficient, as fuel is our second biggest cost as a business,” said Gary Mason, engineering director at Nottingham City Transport. “It was a timely coincidence that Allison was about to introduce a new generation of transmissions, and so we were more than happy to assist with providing a back-to-back trial on the 390 bus.”

The xFE transmission’s gear ratios have been configured to achieve enhanced fuel economy in start-stop dense, low-average-speed duty cycles, such as those common to transit and city buses operation. They have been designed to enable 1st range lock up, deliver significantly more lock-up operation and operate at lower engine speeds while in higher ranges, to further improve fuel economy.

“Just a 5 percent improvement in fuel consumption gives us an extra 2,000 miles each year for the same amount of fuel,” said Mason. “That’s good for the company and good for the environment. The results from this new transmission are exactly what we are looking for.”

Allison Transmission’s new xFE transmission range will debut in Europe at Busworld, Oct. 16-21 (Hall 2, Stand 202).

In August, the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide) in the U.S. became the first transit agency in the world to feature the new automatic transmission, dedicating 60 new buses equipped with xFE models.

About Allison Transmission

Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and is a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including refuse, construction, fire, distribution, bus, motorhomes, defense and energy. Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA and employs approximately 2,700 people worldwide. With a market presence in more than 80 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Hungary and India. Allison also has approximately 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.

Press Contacts
Claire Dumbreck                                           Miranda Jansen

Propel Technology                                        Allison Transmission Europe

claire@propel-technology.com                     Marketing Communications

+44 (0)1295 770602                                     miranda.jansen@allisontransmission.com      

Unit 4, Manor Farm Offices                          +31 (0) 78 6422 174

Northend Road, Fenny Compton                 Baanhoek 118                                                

Warwickshire, UK                                         Sliedrecht, the Netherlands

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