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MOTORINDIA
l
April 2012
bine an innovative compact design
with single-piston technology and
taper wear compensation. Available
in 16- to 25-inch rim sizes, PAN
air disc brakes perform superbly in
trailer axle applications up to 23,500
lb (10.6 metric tons).
The 22.5 inch PAN22 weighs
only 79 pounds (36 kg), including
brake pads. As a result, trailers can
increase payload or improve fuel
economy while also reducing main-
tenance and service costs by using
thicker brake pads.
Transmission automation
technology
WABCO Holdings further pre-
sented its advanced transmission
automation technology that offers
transmission automation in com-
mercial vehicles, boosting fuel sav-
ings up to five per cent and reducing
emissions through optimized gear
shifting.
This WABCO technology im-
proves driver effectiveness, par-
ticularly among less experienced
drivers. It also enhances vehicle
safety by freeing drivers from fre-
quent shifting, allowing them to
further concentrate on traffic con-
ditions.
The company introduced the
commercial vehicle industry’s
first electronic automated manual
transmission (AMT) system in
1986 and has continued with pio-
neering engineering ever since. In
2011, it was also the first to market
with a high-temperature AMT sys-
tem to meet increasing demands
from customers.
AMT systems, which combine
the high efficiency of a manual
gearbox with the optimal shift tim-
ing of an automatic one, continue
to gain global acceptance among
major manufacturers of transmis-
sions, trucks and buses. For exam-
ple, they account for more than 60
per cent of transmissions in trucks
and buses in Europe.
Another new product displayed
by the company was the OnGuard-
PLUS collision mitigation system
(CMS), the industry’s first ad-
vanced emergency braking sys-
tem (AEBS), offering significantly
greater levels of vehicle safety and
driver effectiveness.
OnGuardPLUS uses forward-
looking radar to monitor traffic
ahead. It reduces the risk of col-
liding with moving vehicles and
decelerating vehicles ahead that
come to a standstill. It fully ap-
plies brakes in imminent collision
situations, and provides the driver
with acoustic, visual and haptic
warnings. It also automatically ini-
tiates emergency braking, enables
maximum possible deceleration
and brings the vehicle to a com-
plete stop.
The company’s OptiDrive sys-
tem, a breakthrough in automated
manual transmission technology,
continues to gain global accept-
ance among major manufacturers
of transmissions, trucks and buses.
Superbly engineered as a modular
system, OptiDrive reduces by 50
per cent the development time re-
quired for transmission and origi-
nal equipment manufacturers to
apply it to their respective product
platforms.
w
MATS 2012: Technology Watch
In addition to providing high per-
formance braking capabilities,
WABCO’s PAN range is one of the
lightest trailer air disc brakes in
the industry.
OptiDrive received an Automo-
tive News PACE Award in 2010
for product innovation.