The Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAS) is responsible for meeting Turkey’s changing electrical energy needs in accordance with advancements in technology. In keeping with government’s energy policies, this includes infrastructure maintenance and expansion of an electrical grid with more than 50,000 km of interconnected line and a nearly 110,000 megawatt capacity.
With annual production and consumption of about 240 billion kilowatt hours, TEIAS provides customers with safe, reliable, uninterrupted electric power supply, relying on vehicles equipped with an Allison transmission to transport and deploy essential equipment.
“Vehicle efficiency and durability are critical to our operation,” said Tuncer Tokaç, Special Loads and Mobile Transportation and Operations Manager at TEIAS. “A black-out is not an option, and Allison transmissions meet our requirements and help keep our vehicles operational.”
In 1985, TEIAS purchased eight heavy-duty Kaelble vehicles equipped with Allison CLBT 6061 fully automatic transmissions, all of which are still operating using the original driveline parts. For nearly 30 years, the fleet’s mission has been to transport 50- to 190-ton transformers and reactors from across the country to maintenance and repair centers in Ankara, as well as between different stations. These Allison-equipped trucks have safely and reliably hauled heavy loads over approximately 150,000 km annually without malfunction. For this reason, when purchasing four new heavy equipment transport vehicles, TEIAS chose four Allison-equipped Volvo FH trucks.
“Sometimes we operate over rough terrain and on very steep inclines. An Allison fully automatic transmission with torque converter and retarder provides significant advantages in both launch and braking. Also, long maintenance intervals ensure reduced operational costs and extended vehicle life and uptime. In fact, because there are not expensive clutch repairs and replacements, maintenance costs with an Allison automatic are considerably less,” Tokaç said.
The new Volvo FH trucks purchased by TEIAS are equipped with an Allison 4700 fully automatic transmission with retarder. This transmission is specifically designed to operate within the harshest conditions, ensuring unrivaled startability, uninterrupted power to the drive wheels and smooth gear shifting due to Allison’s Continuous Power Technology.
Allison also ensures ease of operation and increased comfort for drivers navigating difficult conditions. “Our drivers prefer Allison-equipped vehicles to those with other transmissions,” Tokaç added.