Daimler Enters Medium-Duty Engine Market with DD5

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Heavy Duty Trucking  /  July 28, 2016

Daimler Trucks North America says it plans to play a major role in the medium-duty engine market, and is taking the first steps with the new Detroit DD5 engine [Mercedes-Benz OM934], which will begin production in October.

“We didn’t come into this market being cocky; we took a cautious approach,” said Kary Schaefer, general manager of sales and marketing for DTNA, told trucking reporters at an event debuting the engine in California on July 28.

One mark of that approach is that the engine is being released in two phases. In the first phase, it will be targeted at the pickup and delivery market, available in the Freightliner M2106 truck.

 “We’re going to launch the DD5 in a limited application," she said. "We focused on pickup and delivery because it’s the least amount of complexity for us to enter the market. This allows us to gauge customer acceptance of the engine and get customer feedback and incorporate that into the engine for phase two.”

The engine will first be offered in 210 hp, 575 lb-ft and 230 hp, 660 lb-ft ratings.

Schaefer said that in testing against competitor engines, the new DD5 offers 3% better fuel economy. Getting there, she said, “was all about optimizing the engine in many many different ways, considering milliseconds and hundredths of millimeters and great attention to detail.”

DTNA says engineers will be able to improve upon this base for future fuel economy improvements, to meet fuel economy regulations or maintain a competitive position in the industry.

The engine already has been certified to meet EPA’s 2017 greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards as well as all on-board diagnostic and near-zero criteria pollutant standards.

For phase two, in early 2018, in conjunction with the shift of D5 production from Mannheim, Germany, to its Detroit powertrain facility. Detroit will launch the larger displacement, six-cylinder DD8 [Mercedes-Benz OM936], which will have a range of 260 to 350 hp. At that time, the DD5 offerings will be extended to 240 hp and applications for power takeoffs will be available. At that point the engine also will be offered in DTNA’s step van and school bus offerings.

About the engine

Diesel engines in general have gone through a lot of development over the years. “When you think there’s nothing more you can do to improve the engine, voila, the engineers come up with a way,” said Schaefer, who is an engineer herself.

One of the unusual features of the engine is that it is a four-cylinder.

“You may ask, why a four-cylinder?” Schaefer said. “Why not? We’re able to do the job and then some, so it makes for a better engine. It’s slightly shorter, offering better access for service especially at the rear of the engine.”

Less parts complexity, she said, helps improve endurance, reliability and durability.

Some of the engineering changes she cited include:

No cylinder liners

Ribs incorporated into the crankcase for stiffness instead of just adding more material and weight

Integrated oil cooler. “Managing the aftertreatment and regen process is all about managing those temperatures in the engine,” she said.

Optimized cylinder roundness and valves designed to allow high pressures.

A dual stage turbo for higher air flow, with the turbos in series, with no moving parts as on a variable geometry turbo. “Simple in design, the electronically controlled waste gate helps manage the pressure in the cylinder, which helps reduce the stress on the engine.”

Variable camshaft phasing (read more about VCP below)

Designed for durability

The DD5 5.1-liter engine uses common design principles found on the heavy-duty platform, such as a deep rib block that provides robustness and minimizes noise.
The engine has undergone extensive development and testing in preparation for release and boasts an expected B10 life of 400,000 miles. (B10 and B50 life are the industry standard for measuring the life expectancy of an engine and indicate the miles of operation before an engine overhaul or replacement is required.)

DTNA is backing it up with a 3 year/250,000 mile engine and aftertreatment system warranty.

The engine introduces some technologies Daimler says are leading-edge, such as variable camshaft phasing. Variable cam phasing technology allows Detroit to optimize thermal management under low engine load conditions and improve the overall performance of the aftertreatment system.

This is a key benefit to keeping customers up and running trouble free in the pickup and delivery segment, where low-load stop-and-go operating conditions are common, DTNA notes.

As Schaefer explained, “VCP is unique for our engine design. It’s used at low engine speeds to increase exhaust temperatures going into the aftertreatment system. The aftertreatment system wants higher exists temperatures-- it performs better.  I think this will be a differentiator for our engine.”

Serviceability

Schaefer said the designers paid a lot of attention to detail and considered customer requests in terms of servicabity and maintenance. For instance, cartridge-style fuel and oil filters are mounted above the rail for easy access.

DTNA says operators in short-haul pickup and delivery applications will have extended oil and fuel filter change intervals up to 45,000 miles. The engine will take the backward-compatible version of the new PC-11 engine oils, CK-4, when those become available late this year.

In addition, Detroit will provide DD5 customers its Detroit Connect Virtual Technician remote diagnostics system, the same system heavy-duty customers use.

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DTNA introduces its first medium-duty diesel

Fleet Owner  /  July 28, 2016

The first Freightliner M2s with the new DD5 will be on the market by the end of the year.

Daimler Trucks North American has officially entered the medium-duty truck engine business with the launch of the Detroit DD5, a 4-cylinder diesel based on a new engine platform first introduced in Europe in 2013. 

The first North American engines will be installed in Freightliner M2 106 van body models limited to rental/leasing and pickup and delivery applications. Available at the end of 2016, the initial DD5s will be rated at 210 HP and 575 ft.-lbs. peak torque.  A 230 HP/660 ft.-lbs. rating will be added in 2017, followed in 2018 by the DD8, a 6-cyl. diesel with ratings ranging from 260HP/660 ft.-lbs. to 350 HP/1050 ft.-lbs.

DTNA chose to lead with the 5.1L 4-cyl. version “because it can do the job and then some,” siad Kary Schaefer, general manager for marketing and strategy. With ratings comparable to 6-cyl. diesels currently on the market, the DD5 has a durability B10 life of 410,000 mi. and will come with a 3-yr./250,000-mi. warranty for both the engine and aftertreatment systems. DTNA has also conducted over 3 million mi. of durability testing on the new MD engine and has some trucks in the test fleet that have run over 250,000 mi., according to Schaefer.

Although the broad range of applications in the medium-duty truck segment makes it difficult to make comparisons, the DD5 should deliver 3% better fuel economy than competitive engines, Schaefer said during a press conference. Even anticipating competitive improvements to meet future greenhouse gas regulations, the new Detroit MD engine should maintain that 3% advantage, she added. The DD5 has already been certified to meet the EPA’s 2017 greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards, as well as the new onboard diagnostics and near-zero emissions requirements.

Design highlights for the DD5 include dual-stage fixed geometry turbocharges with an electronically controlled waste gate, variable camshaft phasing to improve aftertreatment efficiency in low-load conditions, a high-pressure common rail fuel system, and an integrated engine brake that delivers up to 220 bhp.

Oil/fuel filter service intervals are 45,000 mi., which is two to three times longer than competitive MD diesels, according to Schaefer. 

Like Detroit’s heavy-duty engines, the new medium-duties will draw on the Detroit Connect Virtual Technician telematics for remote diagnotics and use the same Detroit diagnostic systems and tools.

Initial DD5 engines will be built at Daimler Trucks’ Mannheim, Germany engine plant. Production will shift to Detroit’s powertrain plant in Redford, MI, in 2018 as part of a $375 million expansion in that facility.

The M2’s current engine, the Cummins ISB, will continue to be offered along side the new proprietary diesel, according to Richard Howard, DTNA sr. VP of sales and marketing.  The company has a 39% market share in Classes 6/7 through the end of June. 

While overall truck sales are off from their peaks in 2014 and 2015, the medium-duty market in general is described as “dynamic” by Howard, who points out that it is currently up 14% year-to-date over. “So the timing is great to be bringing this product into the market,” he said.

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DTNA Launches the Detroit DD5

Today’s Trucking  /  July 28, 2016

YOUNTVILLE, Calif. – Come October buyers will be able to buy a four-cylinder Freightliner M2 106 truck. Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) chose California wine country to make the announcement that its Detroit DD5 engine will soon be ready to roll. A six-cylinder DD8 will arrive in 2018.

The pickup-and-delivery world is the company's first market target with the DD5, which shares some design principles and elements with its larger DD13, DD15, and DD16 brethren. That includes diagnostic and connectivity features as well as hardware.

The DD5 will offer customers a number of benefits over competitive engines, DTNA promises. One prime example is best-in-class scheduled maintenance intervals -- for short-haul P & D applications buyers will enjoy extended oil and fuel-filter change intervals up to 45,000 miles (72,420 km). For severe-duty work that will drop to a still respectable 35,000 miles (56,325 km) and for easier highway work it will rise to 50,000 miles (80,470 km).

The engine has undergone extensive development and testing in preparation for release -- like three million miles in a 12-truck test fleet -- and boasts impressive durability with an expected B10 life of 400,000 miles (about 643,750 km) . That means 10% of DD5 engines will require an overhaul by that distance travelled.

The engine will first be offered in two ratings -- 210 hp and 575 lb ft of torque, and another at 230/660. Testing, says Detroit, has proven that the DD5 will provide best-in-class fuel efficiency -- 3% better than the closest competitor, with more to come in the near future.

DD5 customers will get the Detroit Connect Virtual Technician remote diagnostics system, as used by heavy-duty customers use to make service decisions that minimize downtime.

“As a testament to our confidence in the DD5, I am excited to announce we are backing it with a 3-year/250,000-mile engine and aftertreatment system warranty,” said Kary Schaefer, newly installed as DTNA's general manager, marketing and strategy.

The 5.1-liter DD5 engine uses common design principles found on the heavy-duty platform such as a deep-rib block that provides strength and minimizes noise.  The engine also introduces some leading-edge technologies of its own such as variable cam phasing -- which offers the ability to optimize thermal management under low engine load conditions and improve the overall performance of the aftertreatment system. This is a key benefit to keeping customers up and running  in the P & D  segment where low-load stop-and-go operating conditions mean it's hard to keep operating temperatures high.

The DD5 should also be a good fit for a number of vocational applications, though that will have to wait until later in 2018 when power-take-off options stronger horsepower ratings  are offered.

The engine's use within the DTNA lineup will expand in 2018 as production of the DD5 shifts from Mannheim, Germany to its powertrain facility in Detroit, where an investment of US$375 million is getting things ready.

Detroit has received EPA certification for the new DD5, to meet 2017 greenhouse-gas and fuel-efficiency standards as well as all on-board diagnostic and near-zero criteria pollutant standards.

While it was a short 15-20-mile trip, my test drive -- in an M2 106 with a 230-horse DD5, albeit unloaded -- showed a willing engine with sprightly performance. You'd be hard pressed to tell that it was a four-cylinder motor, the first so far in a conventional-cab medium-duty truck.

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(If you want to sell me a truck Chris, remove your sun glasses.)

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Daimler to Kick Off Medium-Duty Engine Production

Transport Topics  /  July 28, 2016

Daimler Trucks North America announced its Detroit-branded DD5 medium-duty engine will officially hit the market later this year in the Freightliner M2 106 truck model. Production is scheduled to begin in October, with deliveries planned at the end of the year, company executives said July 28.

“Our entry into the medium-duty engine market is a significant step,” said Richard Howard, DTNA senior vice president of sales and marketing.

“We feel we well-prepared to bring this engine to the market,” said Kary Schaefer, DTNA’s general manager of marketing and strategy. She said the company is offering a three-year, 250,000-mile warranty covering both the engine and aftertreatment system.

DTNA first announced plans to develop the engine in 2014 during American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition. The company previously had not offered an in-house medium-duty engine. Moving forward, it will continue to provide customers the option of a Cummins Inc. engine, much as it offers choices for heavy-duty engines, transmissions and axles.

The four-cylinder DD5 will initially be aimed at the pickup-and-delivery segment, and feature ratings of 210 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque, as well as 230 HP and 660 lb-ft. Detroit is also providing customers the Detroit Connect Virtual Technician remote diagnostics system. Additional ratings to appeal to wider range of vocational applications are expected to be offered later, and the company still plans to roll out the larger DD8 engine in 2018.

The initial Class 6 trucks test-driven by journalists here included a 20-foot dry van body, Detroit axles and the Allison 2500 RDS transmission.

The engine, which uses many common designs found on the existing heavy-duty platform, will first be produced in Germany, and plans remain on track to shift production to the plant in Redford, Michigan, company officials confirmed. That follows the production model of the Detroit DT12 automated manual transmission.

Company officials said the DD5, which meets the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2017 greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards, offers extended maintenance intervals, including oil and fuel filter change intervals up to 45,000 miles.

During 2015, Freightliner was the market leader in Class 7, selling 26,251 trucks, a market share of 44.6%.

For the first half of 2016, Freightliner sold 14,318 Class 7 trucks for a 50.4% share.

Freightliner also led in Class 6 last year, selling 19,842 trucks for a 36% share.

Through June 2016, it was No. 2 behind Ford Motor Co. with sales of 9,715 trucks.

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First impressions: Detroit DD5 test drive

Fleet Owner  /  July 29, 2016

Four cylinders in a Class 6 truck?

Can a 4-cylinder engine effectively and efficiently do the job in medium-duty conventional truck applications? Daimler Trucks North America is convinced a 5-liter diesel makes sense, and—following the Daimler platform’s success in Europe—the market-leading truck maker is confident enough to kick off its entry into medium-duty engines on this side of the Atlantic with the Detroit DD5. Based on our 20-mile test drive through the heart of Napa’s wine country, the platform certainly has potential.

Granted, a Class 6 Freightliner M2 106 with a 20-ft. box wouldn’t be most folks’ first choice of vehicle for cruising the famed Silverado Trail on a warm, sunny California afternoon—but truck editors aren’t most folks. And we did our best not to let the scenery distract us from the job at hand: putting the DD5 through its paces.

(As an aside, we’re not reviewing the M2 106 here—but Fleet Owner Editor Jim Mele and American Trucker Editor Kevin Jones were immediately impressed by the truck’s turning radius as we pulled away from the staging area and made the U-turn across a narrow side road. Likewise, we had no problem backing at an awkward angle to position the truck for some photos at the end of the drive.)

Merging onto a fast four-lane with the four-banger was as easy as putting the pedal to the floor—and then letting it up well before the end of a short on-ramp. At cruising speed, the noise-dampening touches clearly work: conversation was as easy as a chat in a full-size pickup. Running at 60 mph with the traffic, another punch to the pedal easily got us around a slow-moving RV and back in time to let a much faster convertible continue on its merry way.

We were also impressed by the engine braking. With the toggle on the dash set to high, the system brought the truck to crawl so quickly the brakes didn’t need to be applied until we reached the traffic light at the end of an off-ramp. (At 50-60 mph, we really couldn’t get a feel for the less aggressive low engine-brake setting.)

And while we can make allowances for seats that aren’t what we might like (a Class 8 highway tractor is an unfair comparison, but we’re spoiled), we did notice more vibration than we expected in the medium-duty truck when the M2 stopped at several lights along the route. But in stop-and-go driving, the engine—paired with an Allison 2500 RDS transmission—provided a smooth experience.

We would’ve liked to have had the same truck equipped with the alternative power plant, a 6-cylinder Cummins ISB, for direct side-by-side (or ride-by-ride) comparison but, based on a “what have you done for me lately?” standard, we have to say the DD5 works as advertised: It’s an entirely capable engine with an obvious fuel economy benefit. The question, for customers, is whether or not specs make a good fit. For DTNA's initial target market, P&D, GM for marketing and strategy Kary Schaefer put it simply.

“Why a 4-cylinder? Why not,” Schaefer said. "We’re able to do the job and then some, and that’s exactly what the customers are expecting. It makes for a better engine.”

Asked and answered.

Of course, the market provides the ultimate review. But if the global corporate clout of Daimler is behind a project, chances are the concept is sound. Ultimately, however, buyers—not company strategists—will make the call.