Pumped up performance
Hot on the heels of a record-setting 2017, Peterbilt Motor Truck Co. is poised to repeat with another innovative leap into the future.
The new Paccar Innovation Center in Sunnyvale, Calif., is in the heart of Silicon Valley, home to some of the most exciting tech advances on the planet. This facility, which opened in the summer of 2017, focuses on areas of rapidly changing technologies, including advanced driver assistance systems, artificial intelligence, vehicle connectivity and augmented reality. It has space for
50 employees, a five-bay truck lab, collaborative areas and a presentation hall where you can get your hands on the latest Paccar experience.
This is where the Peterbilt engineers work on the Department of Energy’s SuperTruck program. When the program launched in 2009, the goal was to develop Class 8 tractor-trailers with 50 percent greater fuel efficiency. Peterbilt’s SuperTruck I is on display at the Innovation Center. The program is now in its second phase aiming for a 100 percent greater fuel efficiency this go-round.
This is where the transformational technology happens. Right now, they’re working on an app called Augmented Virtual Reality Technician or Peterbilt’s AR Tech. It works on a tablet or smartphone. It is specific to the serial number for any given Paccar truck. As you walk around the vehicle, it gives you a view of the entire wiring harness and parts, complete with connectors.
Imagine the time it could save a mechanic. No more opening the entire dash to find one right wire. It’s all there. What if you make a repair? Want to find the wires in your driver’s door? Hold up your tablet and see them come to life. Imagine if you could add a note to the file that stays with the truck. Training for mechanics could be more visual and hands-on. That’s just one of the projects underway at the Innovation Center.
Remember when your owner’s manual was the size of a Sears catalog (another dinosaur)? Then it got put onto a CD and still needed to be loaded into a computer. How about if the whole thing was on an app? The possibilities are big.
The recently launched UltraLoft sleeper for the Peterbilt 579 went into production July 2 in a new robotic build cell with more than 2,500 already ordered in 2018. It has been a big hit, not only with drivers because of its spacious size and smart amenities. It also has reinvigorated business with fleets looking to provide key driver comforts along with purposeful innovation.
Safety and convenience are top of mind when relaxing in the new sleeper. The panic button activates the horn and lights – designed to scare off an intruder and make sure everyone within view or earshot is alerted. The pass-through passenger seat makes it easy to load your bags, groceries. And it has a designed-to-fit porta potty.
I had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the new all-electric Peterbilt 579 day cab tractor. It’s part of a collaborative effort with Transpower, the California Air Resources Board and the Port of Long Beach. It produces up to 490 horsepower, has up to a 200-mile range, recharges in around four hours and has a battery storage capacity of 350-440 kilowatt-hours.
It has a centrally mounted motor, under the hood in the usual place. The batteries are stored in a series of boxes that nest inside the frame. There are eight 44-kWh battery packs on the vehicle. Each pack weights about 800 pounds. The power train includes the Eaton 10-speed AutoShift transmission. It works best in local stop-and-go traffic because braking helps the batteries regenerate.
It makes no noise. I buckled up, adjusted the seat and prepared to roll out. It ran smoothly and seamlessly. With the AutoShift and the electric engine, it was an opportunity to enjoy the quiet. Driving it all day would not be a hardship – especially if it was plugged in to recharge during a break.
That’s the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned for more news from Peterbilt. LL