Business Times article 10/09 - ZF says SBS would save fuel..
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cost if they use the new gen of ZF Gearbox...
Apparentely, in the article, 2/3 of the B9TL would use ZF gearbox. ZF says the gearbox can save 5-8% fuel -
wow we wud be seeing diff busesOriginally posted by sbst275:cost if they use the new gen of ZF Gearbox...
Apparentely, in the article, 2/3 of the B9TL would use ZF gearbox. ZF says the gearbox can save 5-8% fuel
Just like Mk4DMs... -
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Sorry...Originally posted by Superbus:
Anyway, the linkage is only valid for 1 week -
not too surprising, given tat OC500LE's will be using ZF 6-speed's as well.
wat's more surprising is the technicality involved in the Business Times article. usually we dun see such stuff discussed to such extent on a newspaper like this. which is good for raising the awareness of buses in singapore. -
Because beside the article, it reported that ZF made SG Asia-Pacific HQOriginally posted by ^tamago^:not too surprising, given tat OC500LE's will be using ZF 6-speed's as well.
wat's more surprising is the technicality involved in the Business Times article. usually we dun see such stuff discussed to such extent on a newspaper like this. which is good for raising the awareness of buses in singapore. -
I posted the article here, because this article will be removed very soon, like The Straits Time
ZF gearbox: savings for SBS?
Vendor says HK customer that used its Ecomat saw fuel bill shaved by 8%
GERMAN automotive supplier ZF Group could possibly save SBS Transit as much as 8 per cent of its fuel bill or $6 million if the bus company switches over to using ZF's new six-speed auto gearbox for its entire fleet.
Earlier this year, SBS Transit placed a $70 million order for 150 new Volvo double-decker buses, of which 100 will use the ZF Ecomat six-speed automatic transmission. This new gearbox is said to reduce fuel consumption by 5-8 per cent over the previous four-speed auto transmission.
Running costs are also lower because of savings derived from longer maintenance intervals, said FX Laubscher, president of ZF South-east Asia. 'There are massive fuel savings because the engine runs at a lower speed due to the closer gear and axle ratios,' said Mr Laubscher, adding that there is no change in price for the improved transmission.
He said that when used in a Hongkong public bus fleet, the Ecomat six-speed delivered fuel savings of 8 per cent. On the other hand, independent tests performed in Rome came up with an average of 5.5 per cent.
SBS Transit has been facing rising fuel costs in recent years, and this was one of the reasons the public transport operator gave for justifying its fare hike last month.
Last year, the listed company's diesel bill came to $55 million, or 10.5 per cent of 2004's total operating expenses. SBS Transit said the amount was $16 million higher than two years earlier.
In May, the company said its first-quarter 2005 fuel costs had risen more than 40 per cent compared to the same period in 2004 because of surging world oil prices. Given that the average price of oil was about $10 less per barrel then, it can be assumed that the bus operator will have a fuel bill of at least $77 million this year. A 5-8 per cent gain in fuel economy would then mean savings of $3.9 million to $6.2 million if all its 2,700 diesel-engined buses get the new concept transmission.
The new-generation bus with the ZF six-speeder has been available in Europe for about a year now and ZF said the transmission also results in lower exhaust and noise emissions because the engine is working more optimally. -
They've been active in SEA for some time already. There is a joint venture with DRB-Hicom in Malaysia called ZF Steerings.Originally posted by sbst275:Because beside the article, it reported that ZF made SG Asia-Pacific HQ -
ZF are good for Stop n Go conditions,While most Voith are suitable for Services like 161,34,966 etc....I feel that Voith are suitable for services plying expressways unless SBST Or SMRTB buy those 5 speed version
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I feel that touring buses should get the Voith gearboxes, in that case. ZF can take care of city buses' transmission needs.Originally posted by carbikebus:ZF are good for Stop n Go conditions,While most Voith are suitable for Services like 161,34,966 etc....I feel that Voith are suitable for services plying expressways unless SBST Or SMRTB buy those 5 speed version -
The M-B OH 1627 L used by SJE uses ZF 4-speed push-button automatic.
When it reaches the highest road speed gear on the expressway, almost total
silence overall i.e. no whinning noise or vibrations from the transmission, which is noisy as usual (like on O 405's using ZF or Voith) when in the lower road speed gears ! 5 or 6 speed would be expected to be better for expressway use.Originally posted by carbikebus:ZF are good for Stop n Go conditions,While most Voith are suitable for Services like 161,34,966 etc....I feel that Voith are suitable for services plying expressways unless SBST Or SMRTB buy those 5 speed version -
all d more, i feel that ZF is better, as revving for each gear is within the economy zone. Voith always make buses rev pretty high, hence needing more fuel. Same principle like a car.
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What which bothers me about these new ZF 6-speed gearboxes is that with heavy usage i.e. more wear & tear as mileage builds up later on & if not sufficient maintenence given (which i suspect quite often is the case judging from the present state of the various gearboxes on buses here) then would the ride become much more jerkier (than those with 3 or 4-speeds only) later on because of the need to change up to 6 gears ?!!?
With say only 3 or 4 gears to change the no. of jerks in a badly maintained gearbox would tend to be less compared to 5 or 6 gears to change resulting in an overall more jerkier ride, unless 1st class maintenence is given all the way to maintain original standards ?!?
With less gears to change, even if it's more fuel inefficient, least the ride tends to be overall smoother even if the gearbox are not so well maintained !Originally posted by grandvoyager86:all d more, i feel that ZF is better, as revving for each gear is within the economy zone. Voith always make buses rev pretty high, hence needing more fuel. Same principle like a car. -
Which one do you think more matters to the company?Saving money or giving passenger a little bit more uncomfortable ride?Originally posted by hseochin:What which bothers me about these new ZF 6-speed gearboxes is that with heavy usage i.e. more wear & tear as mileage builds up later on & if not sufficient maintenence given (which i suspect quite often is the case judging from the present state of the various gearboxes on buses here) then would the ride become much more jerkier (than those with 3 or 4-speeds only) later on because of the need to change up to 6 gears ?!!?
With say only 3 or 4 gears to change the no. of jerks in a badly maintained gearbox would tend to be less compared to 5 or 6 gears to change resulting in an overall more jerkier ride, unless 1st class maintenence is given all the way to maintain original standards ?!?
With less gears to change, even if it's more fuel inefficient, least the ride tends to be overall smoother even if the gearbox are not so well maintained ! -
agree, they put their shareholders as first class.....Originally posted by SBS9810X:Which one do you think more matters to the company?Saving money or giving passenger a little bit more uncomfortable ride?