Mercedes-Benz Sprinter’s Right Foot Controller

A brand new gadget from Mercedes-Benz will stop lead-footed drivers punishing the fuel consumption of unladen vehicles. The ‘ExcelArate’,can be fitted to any Mercedes-Benz truck or van.
Nick Blake, Sales Engineering Manager at Mercedes-Benz UK, explained: “Modern vans and trucks often have very powerful engines, designed to work efficiently when hauling a full load, but frequently they are driven with only part loads or even completely empty.

“In those situations, it’s very tempting for the driver to make use of that power to accelerate much more quickly than necessary – which, of course, has an adverse effect on the vehicle’s fuel consumption.
“The ExcelArate system prevents this by limiting the power and revs available to the driver, so that the vehicle behaves exactly as it would when carrying a 60 per cent load.
Zeta Automotive is based in Bicester, Oxfordshire, and developed the ExcelArate dynamic throttle control after meeting with senior managers at Mercedes-Benz UK’s Milton Keynes headquarters.
Initially created for use with Sprinter vans, but now developed for heavy trucks as well, the device can be fitted to any vehicle with an electronic throttle, and sits between the accelerator pedal and the engine’s ECU computer.
Zeta’s Head of Business Unit Gordon Anderson said: “By electronically restricting the vehicle’s maximum rate of acceleration to simulate that of a part-laden vehicle, and forcing earlier gear changes by limiting the maximum revs, we can mimic the behaviour of a careful, economic driver.
The system has already produced some striking results during trials, when fitted to Mercedes-Benz Sprinters in some of Britain’s best-known fleets. Vehicles equipped with ExcelArate have covered more than 40,000 miles working for Ginsters, Ocado, Parcelforce Worldwide, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose – and have produced reductions in fuel use ranging from 4.1 to 15.8 per cent.

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