Accelerating straight into the future of commercial vehicle safety, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC and Kenworth Truck Company have teamed up for their latest advancement: Bendix’s comprehensive advanced driver assistance system is now standard technology on Kenworth’s flagship on-highway Class 8 truck.
Bendix Wingman Fusion will be factory-installed as standard equipment on the Kenworth T680 model. The move demonstrates the continually increasing demand by fleets and owner-operators for driver assistance systems, while deepening the long safety partnership between the two industry leaders.
“The Kenworth T680 has earned its reputation as one of North America’s most trusted trucks, and we are proud to contribute to its legacy with Bendix Wingman Fusion – which has redefined safety technology for commercial vehicles, and is now elevated to standard position,” says Scott Burkhart, Bendix Vice President – Sales, Marketing, and Business Development. “Fusion complements the traits that make the T680 what it is – quality, performance, safety, and reliability. And it embodies the commitment we share with Kenworth to making highways safer for everyone.”
Launched in 2015, Wingman Fusion integrates and advances a proven suite of Bendix safety technologies – radar, camera, and the vehicle’s brake system – into a comprehensive driver assistance package, capable of alerting a driver and decreasing the vehicle’s speed significantly, as compared to previous systems, which helps mitigate potential collisions or lessen their severity. Because it is built on the foundational technology of the Bendix ESP full-stability program, Fusion also helps drivers avoid additional crash situations, including rollovers, loss-of-control, and sideswipe crashes.
The Latest Chapter
Since 2012, Kenworth has offered Fusion’s radar sensor-based predecessor, Bendix Wingman Advanced – A Collision Mitigation Technology, as an option on several Class 8 models, including the T680. Based on positive customer feedback and growing demand, Wingman Advanced gained standard position on the T680 last year.
In addition to its new standard position on the T680, Fusion is also available on Kenworth’s vocational T880 model. Earlier this year, Fusion was named an option on Kenworth’s medium-duty T270 and T370 models.
“The addition of Bendix Wingman Fusion as a standard feature on the Kenworth T680 provides on-highway fleet and truck operators with the excellent benefit of a proven, advanced driver assistance technology,” says Kenworth Marketing Director Kurt Swihart.
Kenworth also recently announced that the Bendix ADB22X air disc brake will now come standard on all axles of the Kenworth T680, further enhancing the stopping power of its on-highway pacesetter. Since 2013, the top-performing ADB22X has been offered as standard equipment on T680 steer axles.
Proven, Fully Integrated System for Better Performance
Wingman Fusion is unlike systems that rely solely on radar. The technology combines and cross-checks information from multiple sources, enabling it to deliver enhanced rear-end collision mitigation and braking on stationary vehicles, along with features that can only be accomplished with a camera, such as lane departure warning, and overspeed alerts and action.
Collecting input through radar, camera, and the vehicle’s brake sensors working together, and not just in parallel, Wingman Fusion creates a highly detailed and accurate data picture using deep, multi-system integration. The system’s camera is powered by the Mobileye System-on-Chip EyeQ processor with state-of-the-art vision algorithms. Because of this ability to cross-check information multiple times per second – the result of software and sensors integrated together – Fusion™ delivers a robust approach that can help drivers, fleets, and owner-operators strengthen safety in their operations.
These combined technologies – radar, camera, and brakes – create a system that typically assesses situations faster and reacts earlier, while also reducing instances of false alerts and false interventions, and prioritizing alerts to help reduce driver distraction that may result from multiple alerts sounding simultaneously.
Bendix and Kenworth emphasize that safety systems like Wingman Fusion are intended to complement safe driving practices, and not to encourage or enable aggressive driving. Skilled, alert drivers practicing safe driving techniques and supported by ongoing, comprehensive training remain at the heart of highway safety, and responsibility for the safe operation of a driver assistance system-equipped vehicle remains with the driver at all times.
Fusion is part of Bendix’s ever-growing portfolio of technologies that deliver on safety, along with other areas critical to fleet and owner-operator success, including equipment reliability, performance and efficiency, and lower cost of vehicle ownership. Bolstering its products with unparalleled post-sales support, Bendix aims to encourage investment in advanced systems that will improve safety for drivers, passengers, and everyone traveling North America’s roads.
