Mercedes-Benz is now launching the second generation of Active Brake Assist in their flagship Travego. The new generation of the award-winning Active Brake Assist – also known as the advanced emergency braking system and the winner of numerous awards – can now detect stationary obstacles. Until now, following a series of warnings of increasing severity and a lack of reaction on the part of the driver, the safety system always automatically initiated a full application of the brakes in the case of an acute risk of collision with a slower-moving vehicle ahead.Active Brake Assist: tried and tested over five billion kilometres
After introducing various active and passive assistance systems such as the Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Lane Assistant (SPA), Continuous Braking Limiter (DBL), Brake Assist (BA), Adaptive Cruise Control (ART), Front Collision Guard (FCG) and Active Brake Assist, Mercedes-Benz is now introducing the second generation of Active Brake Assist, yet another milestone on the path to implementing the vision of accident-free driving.
Up to now, the safety system only initiated an emergency stop if there was a risk of a collision with the vehicle ahead, but Active Brake Assist 2 now has the ability to initiate a braking manoeuvre in response to stationary obstacles, for example if there is an unexpected motorway tailback.
Active Brake Assist was first implemented in Mercedes-Benz Actros heavy trucks in 2006 and in Mercedes-Benz Travego buses in 2008. Since then, this assistance system has truly proved its worth over five billion kilometres. There are approximately 27,000 Daimler trucks and buses on the roads equipped with Active Brake Assist.
Active Brake Assist 2 will complement the presentsystem from the end of the year. Mercedes-Benz will continue to support the distribution of Active Brake Assist at no extra cost in connection with Adaptive Cruise Control being ordered by the customer.
The radar-controlled system detects stationary obstacles
The radar of Active Brake Assist 2 scans an area between 0.25 and 200 m in the lane ahead of the bus, constantly monitoring the distance and the difference in speed to the vehicle directly ahead or to a stationary obstacle. If an accident is unavoidable unless the driver takes action, the driver is first warned by a red triangle lighting up and an acoustic warning signal. If the situation becomes more severe, the system reacts by braking.
The warning concept is designed such that drivers can take action themselves in order to avoid a critical situation. The brake application initiated by Active Brake Assist 2 is done so with 30 % of the maximum braking power and thus the driver can gain the time needed to avoid the potential accident and take appropriate action.
Effective from 100 - 0 km/h and stable in different weather and lighting conditions
Compared with other systems still being developed, Active Brake Assist 2 has distinct advantages. The successful radar technology has proved itself to be robust under most weather and lighting conditions. Also, Active Brake Assist is active across the whole speed range of a bus from almost 0 km/h (slow driving) up to motorway speeds, with the limiter deploying at 100 km/h. Active Brake Assist 2 from the Mercedes-Benz Actros was adapted to the needs of buses for this purpose.
Discounted rates for third-party and comprehensive insurance
Active Brake Assist 2 cannot always prevent accidents, but by braking automatically it considerably reduces the collision speed and thus lessens the accident damage. Buses equipped with Active Brake Assist, Lane Assistant and Adaptive Cruise Control are entitled to a ten-percent reduction on third-party and comprehensive insurance from Mercedes-Benz Omnibus insurance through the Mercedes-Benz Bank.Credits: Daimler AG Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
On 23.03.2012 the first Travego Edition 1 was delivered to the customer during the Swedish International Travel & Tourism Trade Fair in Gothenburg. Gunnar Jörs, a salesman at Mercedes-Benz Buses EvoBus Sverige AB, handed the vehicle over to Lennart Brunosson, General Manager of Lidbergs Buss AB. The Travego Edition 1 with a Euro VI drive system celebrated its world premiere at the Busworld show in Kortrijk in October 2011.Travego Edition 1 is the first touring coach to meet the Euro VI emission standard
The Travego Edition 1 is the first touring coach to meet the future Euro VI emission standard, which comes into force from 2014. The vehicle features the new range of BlueEfficiency Power engines, a new transmission with new gearshift, a further upgraded, ergonomically optimised cockpit and new safety features. Customers with an eye to the future who opt for the Mercedes-Benz flagship can thus become trailblazers in terms of environmental friendliness.
High-torque Mercedes-Benz engine from the new BlueEfficiency Power engine generation
The Travego Edition 1 is powered by a vertically installed in-line six-cylinder engine from the new OM 471 series. From a displacement of 12.8 l it develops 350 kW (476 hp) at 1800 rpm. The high maximum torque is 2300 Nm at 1100 rpm. The engine features a unique common-rail injection system with pressure booster (X-PULSE). This delivers extremely precise fuel injection with cylinder-selective control, high injection pressures of up to 2100 bar and freely modulated injection – the prerequisites for low fuel consumption, low exhaust emissions and smooth engine operation.
Additional advantages result from the highly effective three-stage exhaust brake and the asymmetric turbocharger. Despite exhaust gas recirculation, this ensures rapid response to accelerator movements for an agile driving performance. The torque characteristics of the new engine permit unusually low, fuel-saving engine speeds.
Conflict between emissions and fuel consumption resolved
The particularly stringent requirements of the future Euro VI emission standard for nitrogen oxide emissions (NOX) generally stand in contradiction to the demands for further reduced particulate emissions and low fuel consumption. Mercedes‑Benz resolves these conflicting objectives with its unique new X-Pulse injection technology, in conjunction with a complex emission control system. This involves BlueTec engine technology with SCR and AdBlue injection, which has already proved its worth in more than 100,000 units, combined with exhaust gas recirculation and a particulate filter.
All in all, Euro VI in the Travego Edition I leads to a further dramatic reduction in pollutant emissions - without the increase in fuel consumption that was initially feared. At the same time AdBlue consumption is reduced by around 40 percent.
Ergonomically optimised driver's cockpit redesigned down to the last detail
The steering-column lever used to operate the gearshift is one of the most conspicuous modifications to the cockpit. This lever replaces the previous joystick on the dashboard. It is used to control all functions and yet, because of the intuitive nature of its operation, remains extremely user-friendly.
But the developers have also realised many more new ideas to optimise the ergonomics for the driver, for example a redesigned display concept. The use of pictograms, along with structured menu navigation via the new multifunction steering wheel, makes it appreciably simpler to access the various functions and displays.
The ignition and the engine start/stop system are controlled by a two-stage pushbutton switch. The switches in the cockpit have been rearranged according to function, and their number noticeably reduced by assigning them multiple purposes. In the Travego Edition 1 the place of the previous joystick shift lever is taken by an open stowage tray.
New safety system Attention Assist warns of drowsiness
The Travego Edition I is the first coach for which Attention Assist is available as a special equipment item. This is a system that registers parameters such as steering angle, speed, longitudinal and lateral acceleration, travelling time, control signals and driver changes. By correlating the data, Attention Assist draws inferences about the driver's alertness. If the data indicate a lack of concentration and drowsiness, a coffee cup symbol appears in the display to indicate that it is time to take a break.
Lidbergs Buss AB
The Swedish bus operator Lidbergs Buss AB is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. In addition to coach tours with its own travel agency, the company operates regular service and school buses. With the addition of the new Travego Edition 1, the company's Daimler-only fleet will total eight Mercedes-Benz coaches and one Setra coach. Lidbergs Buss AB is represented throughout Sweden, and also operates tours to other European countries such as Denmark and Germany.Credits: Daimler AGCopyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
The Mercedes-Benz Travego Edition 1 is "Coach of the Year 2012" in Spain. Alberto Fermoso, Head of Sales for Mercedes-Benz Buses Spain, was presented with the award by Rafael Barbadillo, President of the Spanish passenger association Asintra, at a ceremony in Madrid.
Since 1998, a jury of experts from across the transport industry has voted for the best new commercial vehicles on behalf of specialist truck magazines Viajeros and Transporte 3 (Publisher: Editec).
Travego Edition 1: the first touring coach to meet the Euro VI emissions standard
The Travego Edition 1 is the first coach to meet the future Euro VI emissions standard, which becomes binding at the beginning of 2014. The Travego Edition 1 features the new range of BlueEfficiency Power engines, a new transmission with new gearshift, a further upgraded, ergonomically optimised cockpit, and new safety features. Customers with an eye to the future who opt for the Mercedes-Benz flagship can thus become trailblazers in terms of environmental friendliness.
High-torque Mercedes-Benz engine from the new BlueEfficiency Power engine generation
The engine of the Travego Edition 1 is a vertically installed in-line six-cylinder from the new OM 471 series. From a displacement of 12.8 l it develops 350 kW (476 hp) at 1800 rpm. The high maximum torque runs up to 2300 Nm at 1100 rpm. These figures, together with the characteristics of the new power plant, guarantee outstanding performance. The engine features the unique common-rail injection system X-Pulse with pressure booster. This delivers extremely precise fuel injection with cylinder-selective control, high injection pressures of up to 2100 bar and freely modulated injection – the prerequisites for low fuel consumption, low exhaust emissions and smooth engine operation.
Additional advantages result from the highly effective three-stage exhaust brake and the asymmetric turbocharger. Despite exhaust gas recirculation this ensures rapid response to accelerator movements to the benefit of agile driving performance. The torque characteristics of the new engine permit unusually low, fuel-saving engine speeds.
Conflict between emissions and fuel consumption resolved
The particularly stringent requirements of the future Euro VI emissions standard for nitrogen oxide emissions (NOX) generally stand in contradiction to the demands for further reduced particulate emissions and low fuel consumption. Mercedes‑Benz resolves these conflicting objectives with its unique new X-Pulse injection technology, in conjunction with a complex emission control system. This involves the BlueTec engine technology with SCR and AdBlue injection that has already been proven in more than 100,000 units being combined with exhaust gas recirculation and a particulate filter.
All in all, Euro VI in the Travego Edition I leads to a further dramatic reduction in pollutant emissions - without the increase in fuel consumption that was initially feared. At the same time AdBlue consumption is reduced by around 40 percent.
Euro VI components have no effect on passenger and luggage capacity
For optimum weight distribution the developers relocated the fuel tank to a position forward of the front axle, in a swap with the batteries, while at the same time the vehicle weight was further reduced through the optimisation of standard production components (e.g. windows and air conditioning system). In this way an important target was achieved: Euro VI buses should not show any negative impact on passenger and luggage capacity compared with the previous Euro V models.
Ergonomically optimised driver's cockpit redesigned down to the last detail
The steering-column lever used to operate the gearshift is one of the most conspicuous modifications to have been made to the cockpit. This lever replaces the joystick on the dashboard used until now. It is used to control all functions and yet, because of the intuitive nature of its operation, remains extremely user-friendly.
But the developers have realised many more new ideas besides to optimise the ergonomics for the driver, for example a redesigned display concept. The use of pictograms, along with structured menu navigation via the new multifunction steering wheel, makes it appreciably simpler to access the various functions and displays.
The ignition and the engine start/stop system are controlled by a two-stage pushbutton switch. The switches in the cockpit have been rearranged according to function and their number noticeably reduced by assigning them multiple purposes. The joystick shift lever used hitherto is replaced in the Travego Edition 1 with an open stowage tray.
New safety system Attention Assist warns of drowsiness
The Travego Edition I is the first coach for which Attention Assist is available as a special equipment item. This is a system that registers parameters such as steering angle, speed, longitudinal and lateral acceleration, travelling time, control signals and driver changes. By correlating the data, Attention Assist draws inferences about the driver's condition. If the data indicate a lack of concentration and drowsiness, a coffee cup symbol appears on the display as a hint that it's time to take a break.
Credits: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
