WABCO will display industry-leading safety and efficiency technologies at NACV – many of them for the first time in North America – that form the backbone of its technology roadmap to advance autonomous driving in the commercial vehicle industry. Apart from helping mobilize the increasing intelligence of trucks and trailers, WABCO’s innovative systems also advance the operational efficiency of fleet operators across the region. In aggregate, WABCO’s efficiency technologies help fleets in North America lower their fuel consumption by up to 19 percent.
“We are excited to connect with customers and other industry stakeholders at NACV 2017 to demonstrate how WABCO is applying its technology leadership to support both commercial vehicle manufacturers and fleets in this key market,” said Jacques Esculier, WABCO Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “As the commercial vehicle industry advances towards its vision for fully-autonomous driving, WABCO continues to pioneer innovations that will enable trucks, buses and trailers to reach new levels of safety, efficiency and connectivity.”
Furthering its strategic objective to sustain differentiation for customers in North America, WABCO recently announced a landmark acquisition to consolidate its operations in North America. The Company expanded its presence in the region by signing an agreement to purchase Meritor Inc.’s 50 percent ownership of the Meritor WABCO joint venture. Meritor WABCO employs nearly 200 persons and had sales of $300 million in fiscal year 2016. The transaction is expected to close on October 1, 2017. By unifying its North America team, WABCO will unlock further value for local customers, including offering seamless access to WABCO’s powerful technology and services portfolio, backed by the flexibility and efficiency of an integrated global supply chain.
In addition, WABCO recently acquired R.H. Sheppard Co., Inc., a key supplier of industry-leading steering technologies for commercial vehicles. The acquisition is a vital step toward providing lateral vehicle control through active steering, which is a cornerstone that complements WABCO’s ability to control longitudinal movement through active braking, stability and suspension control systems. WABCO also announced that it signed a long-term cooperation agreement with Nexteer Automotive, a global leader in intuitive motion control. WABCO and Nexteer will collaborate to develop and supply active steering systems for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. WABCO will showcase its newly acquired steering capabilities and innovative applications at NACV.
“Following WABCO’s acquisitions of MICO and Laydon Composites in 2016, these two recent transactions continue to expand WABCO’s operations and technology capabilities in North America – all to better serve customers in the region,” said Jon Morrison, WABCO President, Americas. “Continued differentiation through technology leadership, customer-centricity, and excellence in execution will sustain WABCO’s exceptional growth.”
WABCO will display breakthrough safety technologies that help mobilize vehicle intelligence and that represent key milestones to advance the development of fully-autonomous commercial vehicles, including:
- Industry-Leading Single-Piston Air Disc Brakes (ADB) – The lightest and highest performing single-piston air disc brakes for commercial vehicles, WABCO’s MAXXUS™heavy-duty ADB for trucks and MAXX22™ for trailers offer shorter stopping distances and easier, faster maintenance than conventional drum brakes. With 25 percent fewer parts compared to other ADBs available in the market today, WABCO ADBs feature superior reliability, faster serviceability and expanded service intervals of up to twice that of traditional drum brakes. Fleets can now expect payback in under two years with WABCO’s latest-generation products. WABCO invested $20 million in a new manufacturing facility in North Charleston, S.C., to localize ADB production in the United States and to meet increasing customer demand in the region.
- Suite of Pioneering OnGuard™ Collision Mitigation Systems – WABCO’s industry-leading portfolio of active safety systems includes OnGuard™, the industry’s first independently supplied suite of solutions for collision mitigation or avoidance, with more than 325,000 systems sold worldwide. WABCO’s OnGuardACTIVE™, which provides active braking on moving, stopping and stationary vehicles to mitigate or prevent impending rear-end collisions also provides superior performance to other systems in the market in poor visibility conditions. WABCO’s OnGuardMAX™, the Company’s most advanced emergency braking system to-date, can bring a commercial vehicle to a complete and safe stop from highway speeds to avoid rear-end collisions with both moving and stationary objects. At NACV, WABCO will introduce OnGuardPLATOON™. This pioneering technology combines OnGuardACTIVE functions with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) connectivity and helps to safely link two or more tractor-trailers within a reduced vehicle following distance. By forming virtual road-trains on highways, vehicles can improve fuel savings by up to four percent due to the improved aerodynamics.
- Industry-first OnCity™ Urban Turning Assist System – breakthrough technology to help protect pedestrians and cyclists in city traffic. OnCity, a unique single-sensor solution, is the commercial vehicle industry’s first collision avoidance system that uses LiDAR technology for the purpose of object detection, including pedestrians and cyclists. WABCO’s OnCity visually and acoustically alerts the driver of a potential collision with unprotected road users both right before and during a turning maneuver. Should the driver fail to take corrective action, it will autonomously apply the brake to prevent collisions should the driver fail to take corrective action.
WABCO will also showcase industry-leading efficiency technologies which drive fuel savings, emissions reduction, and enhance the operational efficiency of fleets in North America, including:
- WABCO’s Technology Portfolio Supporting Electrified Commercial Vehicles – WABCO will highlight its suite of industry-leading technologies that can serve the increasing demand for green and new energy vehicles. WABCO provided a broad spectrum of core technologies to Cummins’ recently introduced AEOS electric truck demonstrator, including its advanced braking system and steering gears.
- Next-generation Trailer Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) – delivers an increased level of efficiency, safety and connectivity to fleet operators in North America. WABCO’s new Trailer ABS enables 20 different key trailer functions of the Company’s Intelligent Trailer Program, including traction help, axle load and tire pressure monitoring. The system enables the collection and processing of a wide range of actionable trailer vehicle data by trailer manufacturers fleet operators. Thereby, WABCO’s Intelligent Trailer Program helps fleets lower transportation costs and fuel consumption while increasing driver safety and comfort.
- WABCO OptiFlow™ Aerodynamic Solutions – WABCO’s OptiFlow AutoTail is the first aerodynamic tail in the U.S. to feature automatic deployment and retraction. WABCO’s OptiFlow AutoTail deploys and retracts tail panels based on driving speed as determined by sensors linked to WABCO’s Trailer Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS). The device delivers fuel savings of up to 4.3 percent at highway speeds based on SmartWay test protocol. In addition, WABCO OptiFlow TrailerSkirt, a lightweight aerodynamic side skirt for trailers, can provide up to five percent fuel savings at U.S. highway speeds.
