High in the hills of the Haute-Loire in southern France, Aurélien Rancon, director of Transports Rancon, is delicately picking up 16-metre logs one at a time, and stacking them onto the trailer of his Scania R650. The whole process is apparently painless – like any job when carried out with the right tools. And Rancon is more than satisfied with his truck and Palforet crane; for his 22-tonne V8 is strong and reliable, the crane has a grappling hook that means business, and both obey his every command.

Powerful, stable and safe, the truck has no problem overcoming pitfalls on the road and can negotiate an 18 percent incline with ease, but Rancon still approaches every forest road with caution. “For us loggers, the first three miles are the most dangerous,” he says. “These roads are not built for a 57-tonner!”

Sometimes his skills are tested to the limit by the snow, ruts and narrowness of road, as well as the weight and length of the load. Thanks to the second wheel which controls his Faymonville three-axle trailer, he feels confident: “It is absolutely essential for narrow bends or manoeuvring in the forest. I have a control screen that shows me everything happening behind.”

Rancon will need to transport this batch of timber to the Celle sawmill about 12 miles from away: one of many of the runs he will be doing for them this week.

Simon Guironnet, timber buyer at the mill, says: “Transports Rancon are punctual and serious about the job. They understand that a reliable truck guarantees delivery of the timber.” With an annual turnover of EUR 700,000, Transports Rancon employs three members of staff including two drivers, and operates four trainers and four vehicles including three Scania trucks.

Originally tailor-made for an exhibition, Transports Rancon’s latest Scania truck was adapted to their particular requirements. “To perform the work, we need power and torque,” says Rancon. Julien Sauron, Commercial Manager, Trucks Services and Distribution, and a Scania distributor says: “This is the ideal model for extreme conditions with balanced power, performance and fuel consumption, which is really low for a V8. The V8 Euro 6 engine is remarkable for its simplicity, and it meets the levels of reliability that Aurélien requires perfectly.”

The pair know each other well because this is not the first Scania that Rancon has purchased. But this latest truck displays exceptional character including the dual chassis, enhanced braking system, the most powerful hydraulic retarder in the range (R4100), without forgetting the V8 engine. With a front axle capacity of 10 tonnes and two rear axles of 13 tonnes each, the vehicle has been approved for a gross combination weight rating of 70 tonnes and for carrying 57 tonnes of round timber.

“It’s quite exceptional, even on board.” says Rancon. “And the visibility is astonishing.”

Turning point

Following an industrial accident that kept him off the road for several months, driving comfort is particularly important to Rancon, he appreciates the ergonomics of his next-generation cab. “In the new Scania, I no longer feel any back pain,” he says.

It was this accident that led the young business owner to a strategic turning point: “Being bed-ridden, I only had the internet to keep me occupied. I started looking at new markets. The large Belgian and German sawmills were starting to invest in the French market because of its fuel diversity and the abundance of raw materials. I seized this opportunity and started to develop with them.”

Since a vehicle out of action represents a loss in earnings, “When a logger phones you, you know that you have to act immediately,” says Sauron. After-sales care is the key. “There’s no room for error! The vehicles are so specific, we cannot provide a courtesy vehicle if one is out of action so anticipating a breakdown is essential. A part ordered before 4pm will be delivered the next morning, which means we can act quickly. Racon appreciates this proactive approach to after sales: “I know I can count on Julien.”

Source: Scania

The Safari Storme GS800 is indigenously designed to meet the requirements of the Indian Army with a contemporary, highly reliable and sturdier Diesel SUV with robust features, and a minimum payload capacity of 800 kgs. The vehicle has undergone a total rigorous trial duration of 15 months in varied terrains across the country, demonstrating its supreme performance, with a capability of coping with on-road or off-road terrains. Offering 60% higher payload, over 70% higher power and over 200% higher torque, this vehicle has been customised to endure severely rugged operational conditions ranging from high-altitude drives, traversing snow-bound regions, crossing deserts to the marshy lands.

Commenting on the successful roll-out of the 1500th Tata GS800 Safari Storme, Vernon Noronha, Vice President, Defence & Government Business, Tata Motors Limited said, “We, at Tata Motors, take immense pride to roll-out the 1500th GS800 Safari Storme of the 3192 order for the Indian Army. This modern SUV – Tata GS800 is specially customized to meet the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces. The continued faith bestowed by the country’s security forces in Tata Motors is a reflection of our pedigree & aspiration to serve the nations challenging requirements on the front lines. The milestone of rolling out the 1500th Safari Storme is the result of the absolute dedication of our workforce, while reiterating our commitment to support Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.”

The Tata GS800 Safari Storme is a fully loaded vehicle packed with special features such as ABS, recovery hooks, jerry can and fog lamps to suit army requirement during missions. Being a low maintenance vehicle, it comes with bucket seats, mobile charging point, Air Conditioning (AC), heating, demisting, power windows and ample space inside the cabin to accommodate six crew members comfortably.

Tata Motors has been serving the country’s off-road defence and security forces, since 1958 having supplied over 1.5 lakh vehicles to the Indian Military and Paramilitary forces, so far. The company offers products and services that not only meet the needs of the domestic market, but are also positioned to meet most stringent requirements across the world.

This unique hybrid system was centre stage at the Cummins booth in an electric hybrid utility truck, a Kenworth T370. As the most versatile hybrid system on the market today, the Cummins PowerDrive offers both parallel and series capabilities. The PowerDrive replaces the conventional transmission and switches in real time between two hybrid and two pure electric modes, optimizing the powertrain for the best fuel economics in any driving situation. The vehicle is also configured with exportable grid quality electric power to recharge vehicles and a recovery crane operating on either electric or engine power take-off.

 The Cummins PowerDrive system has travelled more than six million miles in a fleet setting in the United States and China, and work is underway to introduce it to the European market in the near future. Its flexible architecture means the PowerDrive system can be combined with various sizes of diesel or natural gas engines and battery pack outputs.

The flexible hybrid architecture seamlessly shifts between pure electric for environmentally sensitive areas with a 50-mile (80 km) range and hybrid for jobs requiring more than 300 miles (480 km). It operates as a hybrid in either series or parallel configuration modes. Series is better suited to low road speeds such as urban driving (stop/start conditions), while parallel is ideal for higher road speeds on the highway. In a series hybrid, the electric motor is the only means of providing power to the wheels. The motor receives electric power from either the battery pack or from the engine-generator. In a parallel hybrid, the engine and electric motor combine to provide the power that drives the wheels. The third mode of electric plus comes online when higher energy is required when the system senses gradient climbing or acceleration for overtaking.

 The future of transportation demands low emissions without comprising fuel economy or drivability, and the PowerDrive is designed to meet these needs. A US Class 6 truck powered by the PowerDrive with a 50-mile (80 km) electric range, realises reduced emissions by up to 80 percent compared to conventional vehicles. Similarly, fuel costs are reduced by between 40 to 80 percent depending on the drive cycle.

 The Cummins PowerDrive 6000 is paired with a Cummins B6.7 in the Kenworth T370, a US Class 6 truck. The vehicle’s gross weight is 33,000 lbs (15 mt gvw). The service vehicle was commissioned by Cummins to support EV and PHEV vehicle field tests and pilot routes. It showcases three vehicle charging stations (1: 100 kW fast charge and 2: 6.6 kW standard chargers) with direct charging cables from the truck to the PHEV or EV vehicle requiring charging.

Source: Cummins

“Right now is an exciting time to be part of Allison and our industry as a whole,” said David S. Graziosi, president and CEO of Allison Transmission. “There is more rapid change in our industry and more Allison initiatives underway today than at any point during the last decade,” he added.

 With its deep first gear ratio and industry-leading ratio coverage, the Allison 9-speed transmission provides significant fuel savings as the highly efficient gear train allows the torque converter to lock up early in first gear. Additionally, the 9-speed includes an optional integral engine stop-start system that provides immediate transmission engagement and vehicle hold while the engine is restarted. Providing value for a variety of applications, the 9-speed transmission is ideal for distribution trucks, rental and lease trucks, and school buses.

“With this new transmission, Allison continues to demonstrate its commitment to help achieve standards regarding fuel efficiency and vehicle emissions,” said Graziosi.

The Allison 9-speed model leverages the proven durability of the Allison 2000 Series 6-speed transmissions, which have accumulated more than 100 billion miles globally. It’s been designed to utilize the same vehicle manufacturer’s interfaces as its 6-speed predecessor, providing ease of integration into vehicles currently released with the Allison 2000 Series.

In addition to the 9-speed transmission, Allison also announced the expansion of its electrification portfolio that includes an electric hybrid system with a purely electric extended range—up to 15 kilometers. Ideal for transit bus and motor coach applications, the system features zero-emissions with engine off, including on approaching, during and leaving passenger stops for a quieter and healthier environment.

Additional features include a higher energy Li-ion battery for extended engine off range; a smaller, lighter dual inverter with water ethylene glycol cooling for more efficient operation; and Increased Power Accessory II to improve fuel economy by using the hybrid system to power accessory components like air conditioning, air compressors and power steering.

“This hybrid with extended electric range builds on one of the most dependable and efficient hybrid-propulsion systems,” said Graziosi. “With over 8,000 buses around the world using our system since 2003, Allison was a pioneer in electrification and remains a trusted brand.”

The system is electric-only capable, but no electric charging infrastructure is required. Battery charging is accomplished via regenerative braking and engine operation. The regenerative braking capability can extend the brake change interval by up to 350 percent. The two-mode split parallel architecture improves fuel economy up to 25 percent.

Beyond the Allison 9-speed transmission and extended electrification portfolio, Allison also continues to work with telematics service providers (TSPs) and vehicle manufacturers to support existing and new customers with connected capabilities for a single, efficient fleet management experience.

Backwards compatible to fourth generation electronic controls, which were first produced in 2005, the new connected capabilities will provide insight into over 170 different transmission conditions. This will provide fleet management and maintenance staff with the insight they need to improve vehicle uptime.

Source: Allison Transmission