Optare, presented a new Metrocity xFE midi-bus to the industry on its stand at Euro Bus Expo 2016 (November 1-3; NEC, Birmingham), following a successful trial of a Euro 6 bus featuring an Allison xFE transmission with a FuelSense® Max software package. Independent testing saw xFE-equipped Metrocity deliver an 8 percent improvement in fuel economy.

“We are pleased to launch and exhibit the new Optare Metrocity xFE bus at Euro Bus next month,” says Robert Drewery, commercial director at Optare. “During recent independent testing conducted under conditions representative of actual service, the Euro 6 Metrocity with a T3270R xFE™ transmission and FuelSense® Max returned a fuel economy improvement of 8 percent over the previous model. We’re confident that this new package will be of interest to our customers who already enjoy the comfort, productivity and maintenance benefits of the Metrocity with a fully automatic transmission.” 

Allison’s xFE transmissions feature the latest advances in fuel-saving technology. Incorporating optimized gear ratios coupled with the FuelSense® Max package, xFE transmissions have been designed to deliver significantly more lock up operation and operate at lower engine speeds in higher ranges for further fuel economy improvements. In addition to the new T3270R xFE™ launching at Euro Bus Expo, Allison now offers three new xFE models in Europe: the T3280 xFE™, T3325 xFE™ and T3375 xFE™.