In an effort to offer products that comply with the European Union's (EU) new regulation requiring electronic stability control systems (ESC) on all new commercial vehicles beginning in November 2011, Wabco Holdings has released the ESCsmart system.
The ESCsmart allows OEMs and body builders to design and sell unique vehicle configurations without pre-existing ESC parameter settings, Wabco said.
"Wabco's new ESCsmart technology is a breakthrough enabler both in the vehicle's ESC system homologation procedures and in the setting of the ESC system's parameters at the end of the assembly line," said Jean-Christophe Figueroa, Wabco vp, vehicle dynamics and control. "Building on Wabco's unique knowledge and exceptional capabilities, our new ESCsmart system allows our customers worldwide to optimize the total cost and effort of adopting electronic stability control, particularly in Europe in view of upcoming regulations."
ESCsmart extends Wabco's EBS to allow the system to intervene in situations where vehicle stability enters a critical area, the company said. The system is active on high roll stability control and low yaw rate road conditions and provides assistance in critical understeering and oversteering situations.
Available for heavy- and medium-duty trucks as well as buses, the system provides protection against rollover, skidding, spinning and jack-knifing by selectively braking each wheel as needed.
The system is available for use in Asia, Europe and North America.
Also, Wabco's EcoSmart system has been picked up by an undisclosed OEM in Europe for production in their heavy-duty truck engines starting in 2011.
The EcoSmart is an air compression technology that improves fuel efficiency and reduces emissions by optimally discharging a truck compressor from the engine when the vehicle's air system reaches full pressure, Wabco said.
The resulting savings, according to the company, is as much as $1,250 in fuel alone while also reducing wear and tear on the compressor. Wabco estimates as much as a 5,000 lbs. per vehicle savings in CO2 emissions annually.
"Our new EcoSmart system is a breakthrough technology that helps original equipment manufacturers around the world to make their vehicles greener, cleaner and more fuel efficient. Smartly designed and creatively engineered, our new EcoSmart system is an outstanding example of Wabco's unique ability to innovate commercial vehicle technologies that enhance fuel savings and contribute to clean air solutions," said Nikhil Varty, Wabco vp-compression and braking. "By equipping our customers' new vehicles with Wabco's EcoSmart system, Wabco takes another step forward as the leading-edge supplier of breakthrough solutions for commercial vehicle manufacturers."
