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.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
