Predictive Powertrain Control is a relatively new technology that combines vehicle onboard control systems and external data.
The new Mercedes-Benz Actros has a cruise control system that can see the road ahead, which is used to reduce fuel consumption by an additional three percent. Since the cruise control knows the upcoming topography, it is programmed to respond in a way that will deliver the most fuel-efficient performance, particularly on up- or down-hill grades.
As the first GPS-based cruise control system, what the German truck making giant calls Predictive Powertrain Control intervenes to control speed, braking, and can now also regulate the transmission where it perform a single or double downshift of gears ahead of time when fitting.
This advanced technology builds on earlier work at Daimler Trucks that saw the debut of a GPS-based speed regulator – without gearshift intervention – three years ago as an option for its Freightliner brand trucks in the United States. When it was launched onto the market in 2009 this system, which was available in overseas markets under the name “Predictive Cruise Control” was the first cruise control system to be, well, farsighted.
Daimler says that Predictive Powertrain Control turns the inherent disadvantage of a non-regulated cruise control system into clearly measurable advantages: fully laden long-distance haulage trucks such as the new Actros 1845 BlueTec 6 can achieve fuel savings of around three percent in long-distance operations over moderately difficult topography compared with “non-regulated” examples fitted with a classic cruise control system.
