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Ensuring the thermal comfort of passengers is a crucial concern for passenger vehicle cabins. Passenger comfort is influenced by factors including the performance of the HVAC system, exposure to solar and thermal radiation, the thermal conductivity of the materials used in the cabin and the humidity of the surrounding air. A reliable approximation of thermal comfort parameters requires accurate numerical representation of all of these physical phenomena. This can be achieved by utilising strongly coupled solution of radiation, conduction and thermal fluid dynamics. In the present study, thermal comfort equations are implemented into STAR-CD Computational Fluid Dynamics software and compared with the results obtained by using TeKoS, which is a program package developed, validated and utilized for years at Daimler AG.

In the recent years, Automated Manual Transmissions have become more popular for class 8 heavy trucks. Besides the benefits of smoother gear changes and reduced driver fatigue, AMTs can also greatly reduce fuel consumption by using optimized shifting strategies and advanced controls. The Detroit DT12 AMT demonstrated its ability to save fuel over a standard AMT, due in part to its eCoast feature. eCoast relies on intelligent and advanced electronic controls to safely allow the vehicle to coast on downgrades. While the engine is idling, the drag parasitic energy losses are decreased and the vehicle can fully use its momentum to travel further up and down hill. As one could expect, the type of route profile can greatly affect the fuel savings due to eCoast, since more hilly terrains might offer more opportunities to activate eCoast than flatter roads.