Making Diesel More Efficient

News

6 May

New Actros 13-litre delivers fuel cuts of up to four per cent.

While the world is rapidly evolving towards electric and hydrogen motive power, the age of the diesel isn’t over just yet. Consequently OEM’s are intent on improving the fuel economy – and consequently reducing emissions – of their diesel powered vehicles.

One such is the Australian Actros which is about to become even more efficient as Mercedes-Benz Trucks delivers fuel cuts of up to four per cent with the third generation OM471 engine.

Already known for its excellent fuel economy, the Actros will push further with a raft of minor changes that add up to a major improvement of the 13-litre OM471 power plant.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks will present the 13-litre engine at the Brisbane Truck Show, which starts on May 18 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, and trucks fitted with the upgraded heart have just started arriving on Australian shores.

The fuel saving of up to four per cent is compared to the previous generation OM471.

The OM471 is the middle engine in the Actros line up, sitting between the 11-litre and 16-litre units.

Several key engine elements have been redesigned to reduce friction and optimise combustion.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks Australia Pacific Director, Andrew Assimo, says he is thrilled to introduce the next generation OM471 engine at the Brisbane Truck Show.

“The Actros has established a legendary reputation as a fuel economy champion and it is great to see further improvements being delivered for the popular 13-litre engine,” he said. “Mercedes-Benz Trucks is pleased to continue delivering innovations that drive down the total cost of ownership and help our customers control costs in a challenging environment.”

Andrew says the most recent fuel efficiency improvement is clear evidence that Mercedes-Benz Trucks is committed to further developing diesel engines as well as new battery electric and fuel cell heavy truck technology.

“Mercedes-Benz Trucks and many of our customers are very excited about advanced battery electric trucks such as the eActros, which produces zero local emissions. We also think further advancements of our diesel internal combustion engine technology will deliver considerable fuel efficiency improvement and emission reductions across many fleets.”

**eActros in rigid guise. A Prime Mover is coming**

Mercedes-Benz has also introduced the PowerShift Advanced Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), which enables faster and smoother moving off and acceleration thanks to optimised clutch control. Gearshifts have also been improved and are considerably faster than before, further reducing torque interruption.

In order to deliver the OM471 improvements, engineers refined the design of the piston recess geometry, cylinder head parameters and injection nozzles. There is also a new engine oil pressure control valve and a newly developed low viscosity oil, which helps with fuel efficiency without increasing wear or reducing oil change intervals.

These improvements allowed for the compression ratio of the six-cylinder engine to increase from 18.3:1 to 20.3:1, which enables combustion with a peak ignition pressure of 250 bar.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has also developed new turbocharger tailored to further improve fuel consumption that is manufactured in-house.

A newly developed exhaust gas after-treatment system also helps deliver consumption savings and improve NOx conversion. As a result, the engine meets the strict new Euro 6e emissions standard.