Allison Offers Transmission Solutions for Passenger Buses in Brazil

Allison Transmission, a world-famous manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium and heavy duty use, extended the geographic reach of its products in South America. Recently, it has become known that passenger buses in Brazil will be equipped with highly efficient automatic transmissions provided by the American company.

Buses, produced by Agrale and Mercedes-Benz, will get Allison 3000 Series transmissions which have an integrated fuel saving solution known as xFE. Refined gear ratios combined with innovative fuel saving technologies ensure up to 7 % of fuel economy.

Agrale MA 17 chassis

Representatives of the Brazilian chassis and bus-making company Agrale claim that their products will only benefit from implementation of the 3000 Series transmission. On the one hand, this transmission will significantly simplify things for bus drivers, since the gear shifting process will be fully automatic which is especially convenient in stop-start traffic and wavy terrain. On the other hand, this solution will also ensure increased comfort for passengers. And finally, adoption of the automatic transmission will pay dividends for the Brazilian company itself. First of all, these are economic gains caused by decreased operational and maintenance expenses as well as by improved performance characteristics of buses.

Officials of Mercedes-Benz Brazil also show enthusiasm about integration of the Allison 3000 Series in the Mercedes-Benz OF1721L chassis. This solution was showcased at the trade show in the summer of 2018.

Mercedes-Benz OF1721 chassis

The front-engined chassis OF1721 with air suspension paired with the automatic transmission has a wide range of possible applications. The automatic transmission T3270, provided by Allison Transmission, reduces fuel consumption by to 7 % thanks to early blocking of the torque converter and gear ratios which ensure longer operating times at low engine speeds. In addition, the Allison xFE series automatic transmissions are equipped with a package of fuel-saving features – FuelSense 2.0 with DynActive Shifting technology. In addition, these transmissions are compatible with engines running on alternative types of fuel. FuelSense 2.0 feature uses a self-learning algorithm that works in real time and dynamically determines the time of gear shifting to achieve a balance between fuel economy and acceleration dynamics of the bus. Buses equipped with the Mercedes-Benz OF1721 chassis and Allison automatic transmissions will hit the market in 2019.

Fully automatic transmission T3270 manufactured by Allison

Automatic gearboxes give benefits to freight companies thanks to maintenance optimization and enhanced powertrain durability. Bus drivers will pay much more attention to the traffic and it will help to reduce the risk of road accidents. The automatic transmission option for the OF1721L chassis allows Mercedes-Benz to offer customers more variants to configure their buses according to their demands and operation features.

The Agrale MA 17 chassis paired with the Allison transmission solution has already gained popularity in Argentina, and attracted a strong interest from other potential buyers in the region. The variant for Brazil, designed for 3 doors, is up to 13.2 meters in length and includes air-cushioned suspension.

Allison's success in Argentina proves high efficiency of automatic transmissions provided by the American company. The Allison 3000 Series turned out to be a viable solution which helps buses to keep pace with the traffic in densely populated cities and to ensure safety and comfort of passengers.