Eaton Cummins releases Endurant AMT for linehaul trucks

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Sean Kilcarr, Fleet Owner  /  September 24, 2017

New 12-speed automated manual transmission (AMT) goes into production October 16 and will be initially mated to the new 2017 Cummins X15 family of heavy-duty engines.

ATLANTA. The Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies joint venture, formed between Eaton Corp. and engine maker Cummins just last April, introduced its first product here at the inaugural North American Commercial Vehicle (NACV) show: a 12-speed AMT dubbed the “Endurant.”

Scott Davis, general manager of the joint venture, noted that the Endurant is “a purpose-built, clean sheet design” linehaul AMT and incorporates over 400 hours of direct customer input.

“That customer input was deliberate; we wanted to get it into the process before we even began designing the product,” he explained to Fleet Owner. “We wanted to translate the needs of the fleet manager, truck driver, and technician into its architecture; we literally did not have a design ready when we sought this customer input.”

Davis added that development of the Endurant was already well underway long before the joint venture formation with Cummins, but by adding in Cummins engine knowledge, the Endurant’s integration within a complete powertrain went much smoother.

“Mechanical efficiencies only get you to a certain level; its shift maps and the fuel maps that represent the next level,” he said. “That and making sure there are no contradictions in fault codes between the transmission and engine.”

Features of the new Endurant AMT include:

• A “wet weight” of 675 lbs., making it one of the lightest AMTs on the market;

• The ability to handle loads of 110,000 lbs. and engine power up to 510 hp and 1,850 ft.-lbs. of torque

• An internal electrical system routing that minimizes exposure and corrosion to wires and connectors for improved reliability;

• A new smart prognostics feature provides clutch replacement notification to better plan maintenance scheduling;

• A transmission fluid pressure sensor notifies drivers of low oil levels to provide “burn-up” warranty coverage;

• A “B10” life of 1.2 million miles;

• Predictive shifting using look-ahead technology to execute shift decisions that improve fuel efficiency and provide additional driver comfort;

• A standard 8-bolt PTO opening that Eaton Cummins said helps “enhance resales value” the company said;

• A 750,000-mile lube change interval for linehaul applications, which helps reduce downtime and maintenance costs;

• A maintenance-free 430mm self-adjust clutch that requires no grease;

• Only 16 pints of oil are needed for the Endurant, or about half the amount of competitive models, the company noted;

• A replaceable input shaft sleeve allows for affordable and quick repair without a full teardown;

• The standard Endurant transmission warranty is five years/750,000 miles for linehaul commercial vehicles, and three years/350,000 miles for the clutch. One-year and two-year extended protection plans are also available, the company said.

Gerard DeVito, chief technology officer for the joint venture and vice president-technology for the Eaton Vehicle Group, added that the clutch actuator on the Endurant AMT can be replaced without “dropping” the transmission out the chassis to do so; a potential savings of $5,000 in terms of maintenance cost and vehicle downtime, he said.

“It is important to note that Endurant is not an automated variant that has been adapted from a manual transmission,” he stressed. “Endurant was designed, engineered and created from a clean sheet to be an automated transmission, not simply an update to an AMT, allowing us to optimize the transmission’s weight, dimensions and features.”

He added that the Kenworth T680 and Peterbilt Model 579 will be the first truck units that can be equipped with the Endurant once it is in full production this October.

Eaton Cummins’ Davis added that AMTs are now becoming the transmission of choice in the heavy-duty truck market, at least according to truck order data.

“Six years ago only 10% to 15% of trucks we’re spec’d with an AMT; today that is 70% and we expect that to go higher,” he said.

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Eaton Cummins Unveils Endurant Automated Transmission

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT)  /  September 24, 2017

ATLANTA – Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies unveiled the first product from its joint venture, a lightweight, efficient automated transmission, at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show.

Company officials said the new Endurant 12-speed automated transmission is the lightest, most efficient 1,850 lb.-ft.-capable heavy-duty transmission. Designed for linehaul applications, it weighs up to 105 pounds less than competitive automated manual transmissions (AMTs).

“Fleets will find that Endurant has been intelligently engineered from the ground up with features that protect your investment and make it easy to maintain,” said Scott Davis, general manager, Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies. “With a sophisticated communication system between the engine and transmission software, Endurant promises to deliver industry-best performance and reliability, fuel efficiency, reduced maintenance, and driver comfort features.”

Company officials stressed that Endurant is not an automated version of a manual transmission “Endurant was designed, engineered and created from a clean sheet to be an automated transmission, not simply an update to an AMT, allowing us to optimize the transmission’s weight, dimensions and features,” explained Gerard DeVito, vice president, Technology, Eaton Vehicle Group.

“The market demands have changed, and automated transmissions really are the future, they’re what our customers are asking, what drivers are asking for,” said Jeff Bosscher, systems engineering manager, Endurant.

The Endurant shares many of the features of the new Paccar Automated Transmission, which was designed by Eaton to work with Paccar powertrains.

An extensive component and complete vehicle testing program put Endurant through extreme conditions at the Eaton Proving Grounds in Marshall, Michigan, as well as in the high heat of Death Valley, California, and minus 40-degree temperatures in northern Minnesota – more than 2 million equivalent field test miles in all, they said.

The joint venture got customer input throughout the process, not just from fleets, but from drivers, technicians, and others as well.

Features include:

• Internal electrical system routing that minimizes exposure and corrosion to wires and connectors for improved reliability;

• A new smart prognostics feature provides clutch replacement notification to better plan maintenance scheduling;

• An industry-exclusive transmission fluid pressure sensor notifies drivers of low oil levels to provide burn-up warranty coverage;

• Smooth and intuitive shift strategies that enhance the operator’s driving experience;

• Predictive shifting using look-ahead technology to execute shift decisions that improve fuel efficiency and provide additional driver comfort;

• A standard, 8-bolt PTO opening that improves future resale value.All-aluminum exterior

Production will begin Oct. 16. Endurant will be paired with the Cummins X15 Efficiency Series engine and will be available in the Kenworth T680 and the Peterbilt Model 579.

“With the lowest cruise rpm among competitive automated transmissions and the best overall ratios, Endurant is ideally engineered to fully support the growing move to downspeeding to help save fuel,” added DeVito. “Among linehaul transmissions, Endurant has the deepest reverse ratio in the industry for slow speed maneuvering.”

Features designed to improve maintenance include:

• 750,000-mile lube change intervals for linehaul applications, which company officials say is the industry’s longest and 250,000 to 450,000 miles longer than competitive models

• A maintenance-free 430mm self-adjust clutch that requires no grease;

• Endurant requires only 16 pints of oil, about half the amount of competitive models;

• A replaceable input shaft sleeve allows for affordable and quick repair, while competitive transmissions require a costly and time-consuming full teardown.

In addition, innovations such as a transmission fluid pressure sensor and clutch life prognostics maximize uptime.

Like all automated transmissions from the Eaton Cummins joint venture, Endurant is available with IntelliConnect, a telematics capable system that provides near real-time monitoring of vehicle fault codes, prioritizes the critical events, and provides accurate and comprehensive action plans by technical experts at Eaton.

The standard Endurant transmission warranty is 5-year/750,000 miles for linehaul commercial vehicles, and 3-year/350,000 miles for the clutch. One-year and two-year extended protection plans are also available. Endurant’s maximum operating weight (GCVW) is 110,000 lbs. (49,895 kg); maximum horsepower is 510 hp, and oil capacity is 16 pints (7.5L).

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Eaton Cummins Endurant transmission overview

Eaton Corp.  /  September 24, 2017

The all-new Endurant transmission has intelligently engineered features that protect your investment and make it easy to maintain.

More info: www.eatoncumminsjv.com/endurant

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Eaton Cummins Joint Venture Announces New 12-Speed Automated Transmission as First Product

Transport Topics  /  September 24, 2017

ATLANTA — Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies announced a new 12-speed automated transmission called Endurant as the first “core product” of the companies’ joint venture.

Eaton and Cummins made the announcement at the inaugural North American Commercial Vehicle Show here Sept. 25-28.

The new transmission weighs up to 105 pounds less than “competitive” automated manual transmissions. Also, the transmission has 750,000-mile lube change intervals for linehaul applications, which is the industry’s longest and 250,000 to 450,000 miles longer than competitive models, according to the companies.

Endurant — which is not available as a manual transmission — was designed from a “clean sheet of paper,” Scott Davis, general manager of Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies, told Transport Topics.

“We are just announcing the availability with the Cummins X15 engine today. But it is not limited to the X15,” he said. “We hope to have further announcements with other engines. We want to help our truck-maker partners grow their [market] share.”

Production of the transmission will begin Oct. 16, and is to be installed first in Kenworth Truck Co.’s model T680 and Peterbilt Motors Co.’s model 579 Class 8 trucks using the X15, according to the companies.

Both truck makers are brands of Paccar Inc., which is the leading purchaser of heavy-duty engines from Cummins, according to WardsAuto.com.

Also, Paccar has paired a modified version of Endurant including “deep integration on the controls side and some unique hardware adaptations,” with its own MX 13 engine, Davis said.

During the design of Endurant, technicians provided valuable input, along with drivers and customers, said Gerard DeVito, vice president of technology at Eaton Vehicle Group.

For example, the clutch actuator on the new transmission was relocated to provide easier service, on the advice of technicians.

To service a clutch actuator in its traditional location means removing the transmission, which is a five-hour job, he said, “versus taking half an hour to unbolt the clutch actuator [from Endurant] and slide a new one on.”

Also, drivers wanted more control in reverse gear because with downspeeding, the engine “is always turning at the same idle RPM, and the axle is much faster now so you can have low RPM at cruise [which increases fuel efficiency]. But you are moving faster than you want when in reverse. It’s very hard. So by putting more overall ratio coverage [in the new transmission], I have an extremely slow reverse gear. So now you can back very slowly into a loading dock,” he said.

Other features, among others, include: an “industry-exclusive” transmission fluid pressure sensor to notify drivers of low oil levels; prognostics that provide clutch replacement notification to better plan maintenance scheduling; predictive shifting using look-ahead technology to execute shift decisions; and a standard, 8-bolt power-take-off opening to improves future resale value, according to the companies.

Also, the transmission’s standard warranty is five years or 750,000 miles for linehaul trucks, and three years or 350,000 miles for the clutch. One-year and two-year extended protection plans are also available, according to the companies. Plus, Endurant is available with a telematics-capable system that provides “near real-time” monitoring of vehicle fault codes, prioritizes the critical events and provides accurate and comprehensive action plans by technical experts at Eaton.

Endurant’s maximum operating weight is 110,000 pounds.

The transmissions will be built at Eaton’s facility in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, said DeVito.

The companies announced their 50-50 joint venture, which includes transmissions for medium-duty trucks, too, in April.

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Eaton Cummins debuts new 12-speed automatic

Jason Cannon, Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ)  /  September 24, 2017

Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies on Sunday at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta debuted its new Endurant 12-speed automated transmission.

With ratings up to 1,850 lb.-ft. of torque, Endurant –the first product to launch under the Eaton-Cummins joint powertrain venture – will be matched with the Cummins X15 Efficiency Series engines rated up to 510 hp beginning next month for Peterbilt 579 and Kenworth T680. Peterbilt and Kenworth also offer a variant of the Endurant for their MX engine line.

“This is a purpose built automated transmission,” says Scott Davis, general manager, Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies, “designed and built for the North American commercial vehicle space. It is the lightest, the most efficient product on the market.”

Endurant, the lightest heavy duty automatic on the market by 105 pounds, features an internal electrical system routing that minimizes exposure and corrosion to wires and connectors for improved reliability.

“There’s really very little hanging on the outside of the transmission,” says Gerard DeVito, vice president, Technology, Eaton Vehicle Group. “You can change the clutch actuator without taking the transmission out of the vehicle. That saves you about $5,000 on your repair bill.”

A new prognostics feature provides clutch replacement notification to better plan maintenance scheduling. An industry-exclusive transmission fluid pressure sensor notifies drivers of low oil levels to provide burn-up warranty coverage. Smooth and intuitive shift strategies that enhance the operator’s driving experience. Predictive shifting using look-ahead technology to execute shift decisions that improve fuel efficiency and provide additional driver comfort and a standard, eight-bolt PTO opening for resale value improvement.

Endurant also employs a pneumatic clutch actuator.

“As long as you keep it clean, you get a lot of force at very little cost,” DeVito says.

Eaton Cummins relied on more than 400 hours of collaborative efforts from customer councils, driver councils and services councils to aid the package’s design. The groups helped identify the most important features.

DeVito says Endurant offers the lowest cruise RPM among competitive automated transmissions and deeper overall ratios to support downspeeding to help save fuel.

“Among line haul transmissions, Endurant has the deepest reverse ratio in the industry for slow speed maneuvering,” he says.

Field tested over more than 2 million equivalent miles, Endurant features a 750,000-mile lube change intervals for linehaul applications – the industry’s longest and 250,000 to 450,000 miles longer than competitive models.”

“Nobody wants to change oil. Oil is a challenge to get rid of,” DeVito says.

A maintenance-free 430mm self-adjust clutch that requires no grease and Endurant requires only 16 pints of oil, about half the amount of competitive models. A replaceable input shaft sleeve allows for affordable and quick repair, while competitive transmissions require a costly and time-consuming full teardown.

Endurant is available with IntelliConnect, a telematics capable system that enables near real-time monitoring of vehicle fault codes, critical event prioritization and provides a comprehensive action plans by technical experts at Eaton.

The standard Endurant transmission warranty is 5-year/750,000 miles for line haul commercial vehicles, and 3-year/350,000 miles for the clutch. One-year and two-year extended protection plans are also available. Endurant’s maximum operating weight (GCVW) is 110,000 lbs.; maximum horsepower is 510 HP, and oil capacity is 16 pints.

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