With this new transmission, Allison continues to demonstrate its commitment to help achieve standards regarding fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This release coincides with the timing of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Phase 2 GHG and Fuel Efficiency Standards.

When combined with FuelSense, our software and electronic controls packages, and our other fuel-saving technologies, the nine-speed will set a new benchmark in fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, achieving Greenhouse Gas Emissions Model (GEM) benefits.

—Randy Kirk, senior vice president of product engineering and product teams with Allison Transmission

Prototype evaluations for OEMs in North America, Europe and Asia begin this year.

The Allison nine-speed model leverages the proven durability of the Allison 2000 Series six-speed commercial transmissions, which have accumulated more than 100 billion miles globally. It has been designed to utilize the same OEM interfaces as its six-speed predecessor, providing ease of integration into vehicles currently released with the Allison 2000 Series.

Drivers will experience even better comfort due to smaller steps, allowing for a smoother start. They’ll also enjoy improved acceleration, which can lead to more productivity.

xFE. Allison Transmission also announced availability of its latest fuel economy technology for its 1000 Series and 2000 Series. Referred to as xFE, designating extra fuel economy, the fully automatic bus and truck transmissions have demonstrated improvements up to 7% when compared to baseline models.

Other than our electric hybrid products, xFE models represent the very best fuel economy technology we offer. Our goal with this expansion of the xFE portfolio is to also now achieve the best fuel economy from an automatic transmission in smaller, medium-duty buses and trucks. The new design works to achieve enhanced fuel economy in start-stop dense, low average speed duty cycles. Transit and city buses are the ideal candidates for this technology and that’s why we’ve remained focused on those applications.

—John Coll, senior vice president of global marketing, sales and service for Allison Transmission

The 1000 Series and 2000 Series xFE transmissions have the same space claim and ratings as current models, but incorporate a redesigned torque converter damper coupled with the FuelSense 2.0 Max package. The damper enables first range lock up, delivering significantly more lock up operation and operating at lower engine speeds in higher ranges to further improve fuel economy. All xFE transmissions are compatible with alternative fuel engines.

First announced in 2015, xFE transmissions were exclusively available in the 3000 Series for bus applications. The new models represent the first expansion of the xFE portfolio and come standard with FuelSense 2.0.

Announced in March, FuelSense 2.0 with DynActive Shifting delivers additional fuel savings beyond original FuelSense software. Through a set of proprietary software enhancements, the new FuelSense 2.0 uses DynActive Shifting to provide an infinitely variable combination of shift points and uses a learning algorithm to continuously find the ideal balance of fuel economy and performance. Available in three packages, FuelSense 2.0 allows fleets to optimize fuel economy and performance to their specific needs.