* Washington - Kenworth rolls out new features on T680, T880 models
-- Kenworth Truck Co. announced new fuel-efficiency features on its T680 and T880 models, including predictive cruise control and a virtual tool to coach and assist drivers... New features also include a visual cue to help drivers shift and a driver-reward method that can lead to increased cruise speed... The announcement also mentioned two new battery-related technologies, one to protect against weather-related drainage and the other an AC inverter for high-amp loads... Kenworth said its ultracapacitor-based Maxwell engine start module provides dedicated start power and is a factory-installed option for T680 and T880 models, plus its dealers offer the module as an aftermarket solution, too... The engine start module is designed to start an engine in temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit to a high of 149 degrees Fahrenheit, even when the batteries have low voltage... The other new device, an 1,800-watt inverter, provides AC power in the sleeper instead of DC power to operate appliances, entertainment systems and other devices. The inverter is an option on the T680 76-inch sleeper... Kenworth added that the inverter also can charge the starter and idle management system batteries when plugged into shore power...
(Photo: A Kenworth T880 model) -- Kirkland, WASH, USA - Transport Topics, by Roger W. Gilroy - 21 Aug 2015
** Idaho - Volvo boosts fuel economy by the power of two
-- The 6x2 concept has taken a new twist, and Volvo Trucks is the first North American truck maker to offer such a configuration. Volvo calls the concept Adaptive Loading. It's a 6x2 arrangement but with a pusher axle rather than a tag, and the pusher axle is liftable, turning the tractor into a 4x2 set up for lightly loaded or empty conditions... Adaptive Loading begins with an electronically controlled tractor air suspension that senses vehicle weight via the air pressure in the suspension. When the truck is empty or just lightly loaded, the system lifts the (forward) pusher axle, letting the (rear) drive axle bear the weight... When the truck is loaded and the liftable axle is down, the system will automatically bias the suspension pressure toward the driving axle for better traction. Under normal conditions, the rear axle might run 5 psi higher pressure than the pusher axle...
(Photo by Jim Park - When there's no work to do, an unladen axle is just fuel-sucking dead weight. Volvo gets it up and out of the way when it's not needed) -- Heyburn, IDH, USA - Truckinginfo, by Jim Park - August 23, 2015Labels: truckmakers news USA
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