Adaptive Cruise Control and Downhill Speed Control help the driver maintain good average speeds on hilly roads in an efficient and effortless manner. These systems all act on the current road gradient and are unable to foresee changes even immediately ahead. The solution for this drawback is in the Predictive Cruise Control.
Predictive Cruise Control
Predictive Cruise Control (PCC) is based on GPS technology. Detailed road map information is used to know the driving conditions the vehicle is about to meet. Anticipating impending changes in the gradient, PCC may overrule the set cruise control speed, change the shift strategy of AS Tronic gearboxes or induce EcoRoll actions, in order to save fuel.
In normal long haul applications the fuel savings will be about 1.5%. On hilly roads savings up to 4% are possible.
How intervention by Predictive Cruise Control saves fuel
Anticipating the road that lies ahead, Predictive Cruise Control may intervene in the following ways:
Cruise Control and Downhill Speed Control settings
Temporarily allow higher or lower vehicle speeds to reduce the amount of fuel used over the total distance.
- reduce the vehicle speed just before the top of a hill
- allow a vehicle speed above the cruise setting before a new climb begins
- allow a vehicle speed above the downhill speed setting at the end of a steep descent
AS Tronic shift strategy (Predictive shift)
Fuel savings from lower engine speeds.
- shift up when acceleration in the next gear will be sufficient to reach the hill top
- inhibit upshift in short descents (anticipating downshift at the next climb)
- inhibit unnecessary downshift just before the top (anticipating upshift in the descent)
EcoRoll
The GPS and road map information allows better tuning of EcoRoll to the gradients and height differences of the road ahead and results in an enhanced EcoRoll function, and hence higher fuel savings.
Paul Whincup, HTC Group Sales Manager said
“We’ve been seeing some amazing savings from the vehicles we’ve sold and our customers are more than happy with the results they’re seeing.” He added “With economy being foremost in most operators minds we’re never slow in showing the possibilities.”
