Allison Introduces xFE Package for Heavy-Duty Buses

Allison Transmission announced a new series of bus models that incorporate the xFE package to its fully automatic transmission that have demonstrated improvements up to 7 percent in addition to the company’s FuelSense features.

Models with xFE are new transmissions with the same space claim and ratings as current models, but incorporate optimized gear ratios coupled with the FuelSense Max package. They have been designed to enable 1^st range lock up, deliver significantly more lock up operation and operate at lower engine speeds in higher ranges to further improve fuel economy.

The xFE models are also compatible with alternative fuel engines, including those powered by natural gas.

“The new gear ratios work to achieve enhanced fuel economy in start-stop dense, low average speed duty cycles,” said Lawrence Love, executive director of global marketing for Allison Transmission. “Transit and city buses are the ideal candidates for this technology and that’s why we’re launching in those applications.”

While individual fleet results will depend heavily on the duty cycle, testing at customer fleets on four continents and in cities ranging from St. Louis to Seoul and Beijing to Rio de Janeiro, the xFE units have delivered fuel economy improvements of up to 7 percent when compared to baseline models. These improvements resulted from the new gear ratios and were independent of FuelSense features.

The new bus model for North America is designated as the B3400 xFE. Production began last month in Indianapolis.