Eaton Corp. showed off some new hardware that’s available now, and some technology that’s just over the horizon, at a press event Thursday, June 22 in Kalamazoo, Mich., and at the company’s Marshall, Mich., test track.
The Fuller UltraShift LEP (linehaul efficient performance) transmission is a 13-speed gearbox with five low-range gears and eight high-range gears. It offers narrow 17-20 percent gear splits, starting with the transition between fifth and sixth gears (at the range shift). The two-pedal unit uses the UltraShift DM system to engage the clutch without driver involvement. The LEP transmission’s microprocessor is programmed individually for each engine to keep rpm as close as possible to the engine maker’s recommended rpm for fuel economy under all cruise conditions. Eaton says the result, when comparing the unit to a standard 10-speed automated transmission, likely would be a 2 percent fuel reduction, for a fuel cost savings of as much as $1,226 per year.