Powertrain gears up to celebrate 50th milestone
2020 will see transmission specialist Powertrain celebrate its 50th year in the business of supporting various gearbox manufacturers, from the early AEC, to Eaton and then onto ZF, culminating in its appointment as Allison Transmission’s direct dealer for the whole of the UK.
The firm has seen many technological changes during this time, from the original mechanical crash type gearboxes, to synchromesh, to semi-automatic, to fully automatic – and witnessed the shift towards the electronic control of transmission performance now relied upon by all manufacturers, via transmission control modules which monitor and oversee performance.
“Beyond how a vehicle is driven or what level of horsepower a transmission can physically deal with, electronic advancements have moved the industry on rapidly to look at the impact a transmission can have on a fleet’s wider environment,” said Powertrain.
“The industry is of course moving towards full electrification, but in the meantime advances in electronic controls are able to reduce a fleet’s impact on the environment along with reducing fuel costs…
“With more pressure on combustion engines to become greener, advanced electronic mapping is certainly doing its bit to reduce the CO2 levels a vehicle emits.”
One such major advancement is Allison Transmission’s FuelSense 2.0 software, says the company.
“Software enhancements provided by Allison’s FuelSense 2.0 with DynActive shifting offers an infinitely variable combination of shift points,” says Powertrain.
“Rather than relying on fixed points on a shift table, FuelSense 2.0 uses a learning algorithm to continuously find the ideal balance of fuel economy and performance for the vehicle’s duty cycle, helping the vehicle operate more efficiently.
“The FuelSense 2.0 product was conceived and developed over a number of years and has undergone extensive global testing of over three million miles and is considered the most sophisticated and proven product that Allison Transmission has on the market to date.”
Powertrain cites a recent six-month trial run by Allison Transmission and Mercedes-Benz in partnership with Fife Council, which saw two 2017, 26-tonne, 6×2 Mercedes-Benz refuse collection Econics equipped with Allison 3000 Series six speed transmissions being retrofitted with FuelSense 2.0 software and run for a six-month period, each vehicle covering around 10,000km during the trial.
“The results show a significant fuel saving on average of 8.85 per cent,” said Powertrain.
“The success of the trial was further proven by Fife Council retrofitting a further 11 of its refuse collection fleet vehicles along with ordering 11 more new vehicles with FuelSense 2.0 installed, creating a fleet of 24 vehicles running the upgrade, predicting a £42,000 per annum fuel saving and importantly a reduction in CO2 by almost 124 tons per year across its fleet.”
Retrofitting FuelSense 2.0 is a simple process, says the company, and as such Powertrain’s engineers are all fully authorised and qualified to supply and fit the upgrade to any compatible Euro 6 vehicle.
“A further innovative move by Allison Transmission to focus on reducing fuel costs is the xFE transmission,” continued Powertrain.
“Standing for ‘extra fuel economy’, xFE models have been designed with new gear ratios, squeezing even more value out of every tank of fuel. An xFE delivers significantly more torque converter lock up operation, enabling the transmission to spend more time in higher gear ranges at lower engine rpm speeds.
“An xFE upgrade also includes the latest FuelSense 2.0 Max software as standard, incorporating Neutral at Stop and Acceleration Rate Management, providing the perfect balance between performance and economy.”
Powertrain’s national service centre is located in Willenhall in the West Midlands, which also stocks thousands of genuine Allison parts, lubricants and over 300 genuine Allison ReTran exchange transmissions.
“With a first time pick of ratio of 98 per cent, customers are able to call in and collect from our extensively stocked parts department or take advantage of the next day delivery service,” said the firm.
“Powertrain’s experienced sales and service team are on hand to assist customers, both old and new, with all enquiries.”
Meanwhile, the company’s field service engineers are strategically located throughout the UK, all of whom spend time annually at Allison Transmission’s training school at its European headquarters in Sliedrecht in the Netherlands, so as to ensure they remain abreast of all the latest developments such as retrofitting the xFE transmission and the FuelSense 2.0 software upgrade.
Powertrain says its focus has always been one of continual investment in both staff and equipment; as such, no expense is spared on the computer controlled test facilities which ensure that every remanufactured transmission is fully tested and certified prior to dispatch.
In addition, all service engineers carry whatever specialised tooling and parts they need to both diagnose faults and carry out any required repairs, the company adds, which all helps to ensure a ‘first-time fix’.
“Customer-focused service is at the heart of Powertrain’s ethos,” concluded managing director, David Etherington.
