Biffa champions cleaner diesel with Allison FuelSense 2.0 Software
Allison Transmission, a leading designer and manufacturer of conventional and electrified vehicle propulsion solutions and the largest global manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions for commercial and defence vehicles, will install FuelSense® 2.0 software to 493 Dennis Eagle and Mercedes-Benz Econic trucks operated by Biffa, a leading U.K. waste management company.
This aftermarket order, the largest of its kind within the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, follows a six-month trial in which Biffa found that Allison’s FuelSense 2.0 delivered fuel savings of up to 9%.
“Allison’s FuelSense 2.0 software is expected to reduce carbon emissions from the Biffa fleet by 1.6 million kilograms per year, which is the equivalent of planting over 100,000 trees. Further FuelSense 2.0 will cut our diesel bills by over £600,000 per year, which will fully pay back the upgrade cost within just four months,” said Steve Lea, Fleet Commercial Manager at Biffa.
Biffa completed its trial of FuelSense 2.0 this spring in real-world working conditions on six of its Dennis Eagle trucks, three of which were assigned to municipal residential waste collection in Liverpool and three managed trade waste collection in Birmingham. These vehicles showed up to 9% in fuel efficiency improvements when following the same duty cycles as trucks without FuelSense.
Biffa is installing FuelSense 2.0 in trucks that are towards the end of their eight- to nine-year service life. The software is installed by Allison’s Authorized Distributors when the vehicles come into Biffa’s workshops for regular servicing.
“Biffa’s order affirms that FuelSense 2.0 software upgrades make great financial and environmental sense for the early adopters of Euro 6 engines from 2014 to 2018, vehicles which are now in mid- and late-life,” said Nathan Wilson, U.K. Account/Market Development Manager at Allison Transmission. “There are still about 7,000 Allison-equipped vehicles in service in the U.K. that would benefit from the upgrade, making the air cleaner in the local communities they serve and reducing fuel expenses by approximately £8 million per year. Furthermore, this documented test study has fully demonstrated the benefits of FuelSense 2.0 software in the trade waste sector.”
“Our six-month trial proved that upgrading vehicles with Allison’s FuelSense 2.0 has both environmental and economic benefits,” said Steve Cole, Group Fleet & Procurement Director at Biffa. “It also showed we can reduce carbon emissions and fuel costs not only in new vehicles, but also in those that have been in service for a long time. Even for trucks that are seven to nine years old, installing FuelSense 2.0 was a simple decision.”
At the heart of Allison’s FuelSense 2.0 software is DynActive® Shifting, an innovative shift scheduling that uses an algorithm to choose the optimal shift point based on your vehicle, specifications and environmental parameters, continuously delivering the ideal balance of fuel economy and performance.
To provide further fuel savings, FuelSense 2.0 is also offered with the options of Neutral at Stop technology, which reduces the load on the engine during low-speed coasting and when the vehicle is stopped, and customizable Acceleration Rate Management, which mitigates aggressive driving by automatically controlling engine torque.
