Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies has introduced the new Endurant 12-speed automated transmission, which it says is the lightest, most efficient 1,850 lb-ft capable heavy-duty transmission. The launch was announced September 24 at a press conference held in conjunction with the new North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta GA.
Designed for linehaul applications where weight savings and efficiency can add to a fleet’s bottom line, Endurant weighs up to 105 pounds less than competitive automated manual transmissions (AMTs), according Eaton Cummins officials. The announcement was made at the inaugural North American Commercial Vehicle Show.
Endurant is the first automated heavy-duty transmission to be introduced as part of the newly formed joint venture between Eaton and Cummins.
“We are excited to introduce our customers to this game-changing transmission,” said Scott Davis, general manager, Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies. “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. 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.”
“It is important to note that Endurant is not an automated variant that has been adapted from a manual transmission,” said Gerard DeVito, vice-president, Technology, Eaton Vehicle Group. “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.”
The making of Endurant included valuable input from specially formed Customer Councils, Driver Councils and Service Councils--a diverse list of fleet customers in various locations with different wants and needs in a transmission. These groups helped identify features that are most important and useful to best accomplish their day-to-day jobs.
Reliability is key for linehaul fleets, so an extensive component and complete vehicle testing program put Endurant through extreme conditions at the Eaton Proving Grounds in Marshall MI, in the high-heat of Death Valle, CA, and minus 40-degree temperatures in northern Minnesota. This grueling testing regimen resulted in more than two million equivalent field test miles.
More than 100 years of Eaton transmission experience has resulted in a host of Endurant features and benefits, including:
- 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.
“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,” DeVito said. “Among line-haul transmissions, Endurant has the deepest reverse ratio in the industry for slow speed maneuvering.”
Addressing costly and time-consuming maintenance requirements was taken into account when designing Endurant to further deliver in a key area amongst customers. These include:
- 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 resulting in reduced downtime and maintenance costs;
- A maintenance-free 430mm self-adjusting 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.
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 primary objective of IntelliConnect is to increase a fleet’s uptime by reducing unplanned downtime and providing quicker repair diagnostics through remote communication with a vehicle’s transmission.
Endurant will be paired with the Cummins X15 Efficiency Series engine beginning in October for Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks.
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 pounds (49,895 kg); maximum horsepower is 510 horsepower (375 KW), and oil capacity is 16 pints (7.5L).
The joint venture’s components are backed by Eaton’s Roadranger network of more than 180 drivetrain professionals who provide solutions, support and expertise to fleets and dealers.
To learn more about the Endurant transmission, please visit www.eatoncumminsjv.com/endurant.