November 13, 2019 Vol. 16 No. 23

Most of this issue of the newsletter will focus on introductions made at the recent North American Commercial Vehicles Show (NACV), those that I haven’t yet been able to cover. There are many of them, including three new transmissions, but I still won’t get to them all. It was a busy show.

I’ll start the proceedings with what Chevron calls a “game changer” engine lube, introduced just after the show. Saying it was more than 15 years in the making, the new Delo 600 ADF heavy-duty engine oil is said to deliver maximum protection to both the engine and the emissions system. A major benefit of the new oil is that it extends maintenance intervals substantially.

“This is not an incremental change, this is a step change,” said Thomas F. Glenn, president of the Petroleum Quality Institute of America.

Glenn was speaking at a media event at the Chevron Technology Center in Richmond, Calif., where the new oil was developed.

The full Delo 600 ADF line will be rolled out in the North American market Dec. 2, and will include Delo 600 ADF 15W-40 and Delo 600 ADF 10W-30.

Current heavy-duty engine oils are formulated up to the API CK-4 limit of 1% sulfated ash, whereas Delo 600 ADF has that down to 0.4% sulfated ash. Chevron says it helps drastically reduce the rate of diesel particulate filter clogging, thus providing extended DPF service life and “industry redefining” fuel economy.

Delo 600 ADF extends DPF service life by up to 2.5 times and brings a 3% fuel economy retention advantage over the life of the equipment, Chevron claims.

Development of the new lube goes back to 2003, according to Kamala Krishna, manager of process research in downstream technology and services at Chevron, when a customer talked about the need for premature filter replacements.

“The question in 2003 was, ‘Is it possible to reduce or change the metal additives that lead to the ash that clogs up the filters,’” said Krishna. “At that time we weren’t sure if it could be done, but Chevron executives thought this was a real-life problem that a customer has, and needed to be solved.

ALLISON’S LATEST TRANSMISSION

At NACV Allison Transmission, in partnership with Freightliner Trucks, has launched its new 3414 Regional Haul Series (RHS) transmission, designed to meet higher engine torque requirements and provide improved efficiency.

The transmission has ratings up to 410 hp and 1450 lb ft of torque. The increased power, says Allison, supports a growing trend for fleets to use their trucks in mixed duty cycles, often in city delivery routes on one shift and regional routes during a second shift. The 3414 RHS will provide fleets with 25% faster acceleration up to 20 mph, the company claim compared to competitive automated manual transmissions. Allison’s xFE technology, which incorporates an internal gear scheme optimized for fuel efficiency, as well as Allison’s FuelSense 2.0 with DynActive shifting technology, the 3414 RHS is said to deliver up to an 8% fuel economy improvement.

Freightliner says its food and beverage customers expressed a need for this product. They’ll bring the 3414 RHS transmission to market in the second half of 2020.

It’s a drop-in solution for any chassis with a current Allison 3000 Series option. The 3414 RHS will be the lightest transmission in this segment, said to be 11% lighter than the next lightest competitive transmission in the segment. Warranty is five years, 750,000 miles, including towing, with no exclusions on individual components.

Beginning in 2020, the Allison 3000 Highway Series will be the standard transmission in the Freightliner M2 112. The 3414 RHS will be an available option with the Detroit DD13 engine in the M2 112 and the Cascadia.

ZF BRINGS US THE POWERLINE

ZF’s 8-speed PowerLine automatic transmission was shown off at the NACV affair, and it’s coming soon to the North American market.

It’s a torque-converter-style automatic transmission and there are more than 15 million of them in markets outside North America. They can handle trucks from Class 3 to Baby 8s, managing up to 1000 lb ft of torque and gross combination vehicle weights of 57,000 lb.

Compared to competitive six-speed products, ZF says the PowerLine provides 30% faster acceleration and the best power-to-weight ratio in the industry. Christian Feldhaus, head of truck and van driveline technology for ZF in North America, said it offers a passenger car-like driving experience but is designed for commercial applications. The PowerLine will make its North American debut with an unnamed OEM in early 2021.

I drove the PowerLine on the Transportation Research Center test track earlier this year and can report that it’s one smooth customer with many desirable features.

In Atlanta ZF also highlighted its investments into highly autonomous driving. The company said it will be spending US$13.9 billion on autonomous driving and e-mobility over the next five years.