At the forthcoming Bauma 2013 trade fair (April 15 to 21 in Munich) Webasto will present robust heating, cooling and ventilation systems for mining and construction machinery, including new Engine-Off heating technology for parking heaters – a new development that the company says can produce significant savings in the industry. With it, costly idling times are avoided by efficiently using the engine’s residual heat. The uptimes of equipment and the driving comfort are maintained. While most capital mining equipment runs around the clock, this technology would have applicability for ancillary machines and infrastructure fleets.

The intelligent control system of the Engine-Off technology detects if the engine is running. If the engine shuts down, the system responds immediately and automatically switches on the circulation pump. After the engine is switched off, this pump takes on the job of transporting the residual heat through the cooling loop so that the heater can continue to use it. The cab temperature thus remains constant. If the engine cools down further, the Webasto parking heater automatically turns on when the temperature drops below a defined limit. As a result, the engine and the cab are kept at the operating temperature. Even after longer breaks, restarting with Engine-Off technology is performed smoothly and efficiently. Cold starts are therefore a thing of the past.

Webasto states: “The consequences of engine idling are enormous, chiefly in the construction industry. Depending on the type of construction equipment, the fuel costs of idling can be thousands to tens of thousands of euros per year. But not only the fuel costs are tremendous. Idling often forms up to 50% of the operating hours and can dramatically increase costs over the life of a machine. This has a negative impact on the resale value, the frequency of maintenance and the warranty. Last but not least, idling shortens the life of the particulate filters, which are necessary to meet the emission limits. In a nutshell: If you avoid idling times, you save significant costs several times over while preserving the environment.”