A product for every application at 59th UITP; Allison to showcase new 2011 transmission upgrades and the widest transmission range for global city bus
Fuel economy software, driveline optimization, and prognostics features are trusted to save fuel and reduce maintenance costs for established and new bus fleets and markets around the world.
Dubai, UAE – Allison Transmission Inc., the premier global provider of commercial duty automatic transmissions and hybrid propulsions systems, will highlight the breadth of its product range by exhibiting four different transmission families at the 59th UITP Mobility & City Transport Exhibition next month (Dubai World Trade Centre; April 10-14, 2011). Visitors will learn about Allison’s latest transmission technology features and optimization packages created for public transport applications – such as Vehicle Acceleration Control (VAC) which has proven reduced fuel consumption by up to seven percent in actual operation, and Prognostics which can further reduce maintenance cost. Among new transmission upgrades available with 2011 model year products is the enhanced torque converter lockup feature now extended to the Allison 1000 and 2000 Series transmissions. Designed to enable the transmission to shift very early into lockup in first range, the feature will improve fuel economy for specific missions such as school buses. The Allison Torqmatic® range now features Variable Modulated Main (VMM). VMM modulates the pressure required in the internal lubrication system to further increase transmission efficiency and improve fuel economy. On display will be a 2100 cutaway model for school buses, smaller buses, and coaches of up to 13,000 kg GVW. From Allison’s Torqmatic® range, there will also be a T280R transmission – designed for buses up to 24,000 kg GVW– and the T525R which is the largest Allison product in this range. The T525R transmission is suitable for the largest coaches on the market with engines up to 410 kW (550 hp) gross input power and up to 2305 Nm (1700 lb ft) gross input torque. The high-end model of the Allison transmission North American Bus Series is the B500R, a favorite with the iconic American Greyhound brand on its Prevost X3-45 coaches. Finally, Allison will be exhibiting its two-mode split parallel Allison Hybrid EP system, as used in 178 cities around the world with demonstrated fuel savings of up to 22 percent in European applications. Over 4,000 Allison Hybrid EP systems are already in revenue service in North America and Europe. “As a global leader with the widest range of fully automatic transmissions for city buses and coaches, Allison is trusted by OEMs and fleet operators to provide an efficient product for every operating environment and duty cycle in public transport, as well as an exceptional level of service from our expanding dealer network,” says Manlio Alvaro, Allison’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa Marketing Manager. “It is timely that this year’s UITP is being held in the Middle East, where imports of buses equipped with Allison transmissions are growing. New BRTs (Bus Rapid Transit) in these markets require transmissions for every bus size, and Allison is unique in that it can supply fully automatic transmissions for mini-buses through to large coaches.” Advanced features and new transmission upgrades bring increased savings One of Allison’s fuel economy software features for driveline optimization that is proving to be increasingly popular is Vehicle Acceleration Control (VAC). Allison’s VAC defines the bus acceleration profile by directly controlling the amount of engine torque based on vehicle load. It is focused on driver input and controls acceleration to maintain a smooth, fuel efficient acceleration rate, also preventing aggressive driving practices in favor of superior passenger comfort and economical driving. As field and TUV-certified testing in Europe have shown, it can result in fuel savings of up to seven percent. In its quest to deliver ways of achieving even better fuel economy for bus fleets, Allison has undertaken further development, resulting in a fresh set of transmission upgrades for the 2011 model year. Johan Verheij, Application Engineering Director at Allison Transmission in Europe says: “Improving fuel efficiency is about optimizing every single detail in the vehicle’s driveline and transmission. We used our recent transmission update programs to address a series of fine efficiency improvements. We are now expanding the use of the lockup clutch as much as possible in some Allison 1000 and 2000 Series applications. For the Torqmatic® Series we further reduced oil pump losses by actively modulating its pressure. “We are exploiting every opportunity to make our product and the vehicle more efficient; every single step and improvement counts as it can quickly total up to an improvement of several percent of fuel saved.” Allison’s Prognostics is available on its entire range of transmissions when an Allison-approved TES 295 transmission fluid is used. Allison Prognostics take the guesswork and hassle out of scheduling routine vehicle maintenance to save fleets time and money while providing maximum protection for the transmission. That means less downtime, lower life-cycle costs and greater productivity. Calibrated to the particular operating requirements of the vehicle, Allison prognostics monitors operating parameters such as oil level, oil life and filter life to determine and alert when a specific maintenance function is required. ## About Allison Transmission, Inc. Allison Transmission, Inc. (Allison) is the premier global provider of commercial duty automatic transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems. Allison products are specified by over 250 of the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers and are used in many market sectors including bus, refuse, fire, construction, distribution, military and specialty applications. Founded in 1915, the Allison business is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A. and employs 2,700 people. Regional headquarters with dedicated support staff are located in China, The Netherlands, Brazil, India and Japan. With a global presence in 80 countries, Allison has over 1,550 distributor and dealer locations. More information about Allison is available at www.allisontransmission.com. This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plans," "project," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," “intend,” “forecast,” “could,” "potential," "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar terms or phrases. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks. Factors which may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made include, but are not limited to: the loss or consolidation of any one of our significant customers; our substantial indebtedness, which could adversely affect our financial health, restrict our activities and affect our ability to meet our obligations; the adverse impact of competitors’ actions; the discontinuation of a particular vehicle model for which we are a significant supplier; the discovery of defects in our products, resulting in delays in new model launches, recall campaigns and/or increased warranty costs and reduction in future sales; increases in cost of or disruption of the supply of raw materials; increased crude oil and energy prices and overall economic conditions; and continued volatility in and disruption to the global economic environment. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. All information is as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in expectations. Press Enquiries Claire Dumbreck, Propel Technology, Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, OX15 4FF. +44 (0)1295 724130 / +44 (0) 7768 773857. claire@propel-technology.com Miranda Jansen, Allison Transmission Europe B.V. Marketing Communications, Baanhoek 188, 3361GN Sliedrecht - The Netherlands , Tel: +31 78-6422 174. miranda.jansen@allisontransmission.com
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