Heavy Duty Trucking, August 2018
FUTURE FLEET HDT AUGUST 2018 32 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM ZF recently teased its new automatic transmission called the PowerLine at a press event outside of Indianapolis Indiana The new gearbox is an 8 speed fully automatic torque converter equipped transmission designed for commercial vehicles in vocational applications up to 57000 pounds ZF teases automatic transmission enhanced steering assistance But transmissions are amazingly adaptable machines With a little fine tuning and the addition of some sophisticated electronic control algorithms ZF engineers have come up with a new option for vocational fleets that offers some very interesting capabilities According to Christian Feldhaus senior project manager at ZF the new PowerLine automatic features up to 1000 lb ft of engine torque a ZF patented 8 speed gear set and intelligent skip shift to improve acceleration performance by up to 30 and is designed to accommodate engine driven power take offs on both sides of the unit with up to 485 lb ft Feldhaus also said the unit is designed for superior reliability supported by a fully integrated transmission control unit with one central electric connector and transmission mounted oil cooler He added the PowerLine also provides a 45 weight benefit and enhanced fuel efficiency of more than 10 over comparable products Additionally Feldhaus said with optional predictive shifting sailing and stop start capabilities the Powerline is ready for vocational fleet operations today and is prepared for electric hybrid transmissions in future zero and near zero emission trucks Sailing is ZFs term for when an automatic or automated transmission automatically shifts into neutral on downgrades to save fuel The transmissions stop start feature is particularly interesting as the unit automatically and seamlessly shifts out of Drive to Neutral after three seconds when a truck has stopped at a traffic light for example This simple act dramatically reduces the amount of torque the transmission is producing and as a result the amount of fuel an engine has to burn As a result ZF engineers say an average fleet engaged in city and urban delivery applications can see up to a 5 boost in fuel economy ZF is adapting its passenger car PowerLine automatic transmission for vocational truck applications up to 57000 lbs PHOTO ZF The PowerLine isnt actually new The basic transmission unit has been ZFs standard passenger car automatic transmission here and in Europe since 2007 and can be found in some impressive performance cars including BMWs and high performance Dodge Challenger Super Bees
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