Stockport-based Phantom specialises in vehicle tracking technology and has branched out into engine re-mapping. That involves replacing the technology that manages how engines function to make them work more economically.
The firm, which was founded in 2002 by managing director Steve Cherry and his brother Simon, claims to be able to improve the fuel efficiency of diesel-powered HGVs by an average of one mile per gallon.
It says the software has been trialled at a haulage firm whose trucks went from an average of 9.55 miles per gallon to 12.97 mpg. That represented a pre-tax saving of £1,075 per month on each of its 96 HGVs, which travel around 120,000 km a year, and a total annual saving of £1,238,400.
Phantom has spent three years developing its software. The company says most engines do not work to their full potential because vehicle manufacturers often put identical engines into a range of different models.
They then alter the engine’s output by adjusting the software that manages the its performance, which is stored in a black box called the Engine Control Unit. That saves them the time and expense of developing and manufacturing a range of different engines to suit each vehicle in their range.
To maximise an engine’s potential, Phantom installs replacement software in a vehicle’s ECU to optimise efficiency based on typical driving conditions in the UK.
Source: Manchester Evening News
