DIWA.6 transmissions, which could be up to 10% more fuel efficient than their predecessors, are already bound for 200 CNG buses
Voith's New Advanced DIWA.6 Automatic Transmission is proving to be the clear choice for CNG Applications in North American transit vehicles. The new DIWA.6 continues the Voith tradition of providing industry leading fuel economy innovation. Through the combination of mechanical, hydraulic, and software advancements, the new DIWA.6 transmission is on track to deliver up to 10% fuel economy improvement compared to its DIWA.5 predecessor. Voith plans to release the DIWA.6 transmission into the market as a technology improvement and will replace Voith's DIWA.5 transmission over the course of the next year. The DIWA.6 product has already been selected as the transmission for over 200 new CNG buses that will be operated in Sacramento, CA and Buffalo, NY.
"Voith has a long history matching our DIWA product to CNG/LNG engine technologies," said Regional Sales Manager Brian Sharp. To account for differences in how a transmission handles a CNG engine versus a diesel engine, Voith has focused on load reduction improvements and shift program innovations to better serve the capabilities of today's engines. "We know our customers will be very happy with the new DIWA.6 transmissions."
The DIWA.6 Transmission includes a new "smart" electro-hydraulic circuit which can control the main operating pressure of the transmission and reduce its load on the engine when full pressure is not required. The transmission's updated Auto Neutral @ Standstill feature further reduces the engine loading at idle, which leads to better fuel economy and less work performed by the engine. Voith's extremely popular SENSOTOP fuel saving shift program has also been performance optimized for applications with CNG engine technology. Taking advantage of these three new developments, the Voith DIWA.6 transmission positions itself as the clear choice for CNG bus applications.
Although Voith's DIWA design principle is well-suited for CNG engines, it also works well with today's diesel engine technology. In fact, the DIWA.6 transmission will be Voith's transmission platform which will be matched with the next level of emission standards set to begin in 2017.
"Why wait until 2017 to release this transmission technology, when we can provide the benefits to our customers today? " said Sales Manager Dan Hollenbach. "Clearly, the market is seeing the advantage and some customers are already in a position to take delivery of this technology."
