“Efficiency on the Road” was the motto with which Voith presented its efficient and innovative solutions for buses and coaches at Busworld 2013. In focus were the DIWA efficiency package, Voith air compressors as well as the secondary water retarder.
The DIWA efficiency package consists of three components designed to significantly improve the efficiency of the driveline. The new
DIWA.6 automatic transmission forms the basis of the package. It is aided by the topography-dependent gear-shifting program, SensoTop, which quickly and precisely selects the optimum gear-shifting points. The efficiency package is completed by the optional DIWA SmartNet telemetric system, which permanently monitors the condition of the transmission. As a result, downtimes are reduced and the availability of transmission increased.
Compared to its predecessor model, the new DIWA.6 automatic transmission saves another five per cent of fuel. This has been made possible by the need-based reduction of the operating pressure and an intelligent start-up management, which avoids starting against the active service brake. The optimized ANS function allows the transmission to be decoupled from the engine for a longer while, which also helps to save fuel. Major operators such as Wiener Linien have already decided in favor of Voith by modernizing their fleet with 217 Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses with DIWA.6. The Belgian public transport companies SRWT and VVM-De Lijn are also adding another 306 Euro 6 vehicles made by Van Hool and IvecoBus to their vehicle pools, all of them with DIWA.6.
DIWA SmartNet
The DIWA SmartNet telemetric system has proven itself for more than four years in over 1,500 vehicles worldwide. At Busworld 2013 Voith presented the second generation of this automatic monitoring system for the DIWA transmission. With the new generation, preventive maintenance and service strategies can now be implemented even more efficiently and cost effectively. The transmission control can now be linked with the onboard computer via an interface and utilize it for data transmission. Alternatively, transmission data can also be transmitted via WLAN. Data evaluation occurs after a proven scheme via a central internet portal.
Voith also presented its two and three-stage air compressors. Its stand featured variations for the Mercedes Euro 6 OM 471, OM 473 and OM 936 engines, which are series-installed in city buses and coaches. Voith air compressors are particularly known for their high energy efficiency. The other advantages are low temperature levels, which prevent oil cracking, as well as a weight-saving alu design. In addition, vehicles complying with Euro categories 3-5 can be retrofitted with two-stage air compressors.
Secondary water retarder
The Voith secondary water retarder (SWR) was part of a world premiere at Busworld 2013, because Setra was using the show to present its new TopClass 500 coach for the first time, which is fitted with the SWR. Until recently, only the drivers of the Mercedes Benz Travego Edition 1 and the Setra ComfortClass 500 were able to rely on the 30 per cent more continuous braking power and the availability of this modern braking component. With the SWR, the braking dust emissions of coaches are reduced by up to 80 per cent. This is why the SWR received the European Transport Prize for Sustainability in 2012.
Its most innovative feature: the SWR utilizes the cooling agent of the engine as operating medium. Compared to oil retarders, the SWR is maintenance-free. Operators can save up to 12 litres of oil per year and there is no need for waste oil disposal. Thanks to its extremely compact design it needs 50 per cent less installation space and is 33 kg lighter. The SWR is therefore not only a winner in terms of safety and economy but also beneficial for the environment.
ECW Innovation Label Award 2013 won
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Voith convinced the jury with its innovative secondary water retarder at Busworld and won the ECW Innovation Label Award 2013. The award-winning product brakes with the cooling agent of the engine and is therefore particularly eco-friendly. The prize was presented by an international team of experts on the occasion of the European Coach and Bus Week. The Innovation Label Award honors outstanding innovations that are exhibited at Busworld in Kortrijk.
After the European Transport Prize for Sustainability 2012, the ECW Award is now the second official tribute for SWR, a hydrodynamic continuous braking system for wear-free braking of heavy commercial vehicles. The cooling agent of the engine functions as the operating medium of the SWR. Compared to oil retarders, the SWR is maintenance-free, saves operators up to 12 litres of oil per year and hence also the cost of waste oil disposal. Thanks to its extremely compact design, it requires 50 per cent less installation space. It is also 33 kg lighter and reduces the brake dust emissions of coaches by up to 80 per cent.