RENO, Nev. — Trish Reed said IC Bus is excited to be the first brand in the school bus industry to offer its customers the option of the new Eaton’s new dual-clutch, seven-speed Procision that was released last year.
“Customers want a choice,” said the GM of the Lisle, Illinois-based manufacturer from the STN EXPO Trade Show floor Tuesday afternoon. “They don’t want to be channeled into just one option. This partnership is another example of our goal for continuous improvement. As the slogan goes, ‘Are we there yet?’ Never.”
IC Bus is the first to offer the Eaton Procision as a drivetrain option.While the Procision is an option on the CE Series model starting later this year, Reed said the benefits of 8- to 10-percent improvement in fuel economy will result in “close parity” with the Allison 2000 Pupil Transportation Series. The data is based on Eaton testing.
John Beering, senior vice president and GM of Eaton’s Commercial Powertrain division, said the fuel economy improvements promised by the Procision present another potential solution to meeting the pending Phase 2 Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards that are currently being finalized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Additionally, Procision is about safety and driver confidence, said Pavan Pattada, president of Eaton’s North American truck division. As dual-clutch transmissions don’t operate with a torque converter, they eliminate torque interrupts and the “jerk” feeling many school bus passengers, as well as drivers have come to expect.
“If you can’t tell you’re in a bus with a new transmission, we’ve crossed the first hurdle,” added Alison Thomas, product strategy manager for medium-duty automation at Eaton.
A feature called “Tap Down Shifting” provides drivers with more vehicle control at the brake pedal, and Procision is designed to offer drivers improved low-speed maneuverabilty in forward and reverse speeds.
The transmission is designed to prevent rolling backward on 8-percent grades, based on grade and weight, and it allows for a controlled launch, added Pattan. The onboard noise is also reduced because the engine doesn’t have to rev as high, which creates a better operating environment and reduces the operator’s total cost. Still, the Procision with the Cummins ISB6.7L engine outputs between 200 and 260 horsepower and 660 feet of torque capacity, providing the customers with “best of both worlds,” Pattada continued.
Another challenge is approaching the same level of reliability that has been proven by Eaton’s only competitor in the school bus industry but also one with essentially all existing marketshare for the Class 6 and 7 market. That would be Allison Transmission. But Beering said the Procision is “battle hardened,” as it has been tested with over 1 million road miles logged that represent more than 100 truck years.
Beering said the Procision also reduces maintenance costs by promoting longer lube intervals and increased life of brake pads. The Procision comes with a standard five-year, unlimited-mile warranty, as well as a seven-year extended protection plan. Procision is also serviced by Eaton’s RoadRanger network of more than 200 dealer representatives nationwide, and customers receive RoadRanger computer-based and onsite training.
Beering also said the Procision will soon be offered as an option by other school bus manufacturers.
