In tests conducted in conjunction with three of Ireland’s leading freight companies, Mercedes-Benz has proven the effectiveness of its Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC) system in delivering fuel savings when fitted to their new Actros.

The companies involved - Dixon international Transport, Noone Transport and Perennial Freight  - each company assigned a driver to test drive a Euro 6 Actros and assess the value of PPC.

Driving the same vehicle – with a gross laden weight of 38 tonnes - over a 95.8 km long route (once without PPC activated and once with PPC activated), an average fuel saving of 2.8L/100kms or 7.8% was achieved.

To add further credibility to the tests, each trip was double-checked and verified by an on-board FleetBoard monitoring system which broke down and identified each driver’s behaviour in detail, showing that there was no discernible difference in driving style over the two trips driven by each driver. 

Commenting, Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles sales manager Fergus Conheady said ‘these latest results confirm earlier findings proving the effectiveness of Actros fitted with PPC when it comes to delivering real fuel savings. Over the lifetime of a truck, these results would add up to a level of cost cutting that no operator could afford to ignore.’