12-speed model built from ground up to provide cost savings, efficiency improvements
While their joint venture only officially launched on Aug. 1, it has now announced its first product. The Eaton-Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies joint venture introduced the Endurant automated transmission on Sunday at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show at the George World Congress Center in Atlanta.
“This is a purpose-built automated transmission built from a clean sheet,” Scott Davis, general manager of the joint venture, said.
The 12-speed transmission will be initially available on the Kenworth T680 and Peterbilt 579 with Cummins’ X15 Efficiency Series powertrains. Davis added that Paccar’s new proprietary powertrain features a variant of the transmission. It goes into production on Oct. 16.
Davis noted that the transmission has been in the works for some time and Eaton had sought out customer input, totaling more than 400 hours of work on customers, drivers and service councils to help build the product.
“The result is a product that hits the mark with customers,” he said.
More than 2 million miles of equivalent field testing has been done on the transmission, which is for linehaul applications. It is for up to 110,000-pound hauling capacities and 1,850 lbs.-ft. of torque.
Additional variants on the transmission will be added in the future, Davis said.
The transmission features:
- Internal electrical system routing that minimizes exposure and corrosion to wires and connectors for improved reliability;
- A new smart prognostics feature provides clutch replacement notification to better plan maintenance scheduling;
- An industry-exclusive transmission fluid pressure sensor notifies drivers of low oil levels to provide burn-up warranty coverage;
- Smooth and intuitive shift strategies that enhance the operator’s driving experience;
- Predictive shifting using look-ahead technology to execute shift decisions that improve fuel efficiency and provide additional driver comfort;
- A standard, 8-bolt PTO opening that improves future resale value.
Importantly, it provides some maintenance-saving benefits as well, including:
- 750,000-mile lube change intervals for linehaul applications, which is the industry’s longest and 250,000 to 450,000 miles longer than competitive models, Eaton said;
- Maintenance-free 430mm self-adjust clutch that requires no grease;
- Endurant requires only 16 pints of oil, about half the amount of competitive models;
- A replaceable input shaft sleeve allows for affordable and quick repair, while competitive transmissions require a costly and time-consuming full teardown.
The transmission weighs 105 pounds less than competitive models, the company said.
“We are excited to introduce our customers to this game-changing transmission,” Scott Davis, general manager, Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies, said. “Fleets will find that Endurant has been intelligently engineered from the ground up with features that protect your investment and make it easy to maintain. With a sophisticated communication system between the engine and transmission software, Endurant promises to deliver industry-best performance and reliability, fuel efficiency, reduced maintenance, and driver comfort features.”
Devito said that the transmission can be downsped for fuel savings and has the deepest reverse ratio in the industry for improved low-speed maneuvering.
Endurant available with IntelliConnect, a telematics capable system that provides near real-time monitoring of vehicle fault codes, prioritizes the critical events and provides accurate and comprehensive action plans by technical experts at Eaton.
The standard Endurant transmission warranty is 5-year/750,000 miles for linehaul commercial vehicles, and 3-year/350,000 miles for the clutch. One-year and two-year extended protection plans are also available. Endurant’s maximum operating weight (GCVW) is 110,000 lbs. (49,895 kg); and maximum horsepower is 510 hp (375 KW).