BorgWarner recently began producing its electronically controlled Visctronic fan drives at its new plant in Itatiba City, Brazil. By operating only when needed and precisely controlling the fan speed when engine cooling is required, BorgWarner’s advanced technology provides efficient engine cooling as well as improved fuel economy and reduced emissions for trucks, buses and off-highway applications. In addition, Visctronic fan drives improve driver comfort by lowering noise, vibration and harshness, according to the company.

“Following the opening ceremony in April 2013, we are proud that series production of our Visctronic fan drive is up and running at BorgWarner’s new campus in Itatiba City,” said Daniel Paterra, President and General Manager, BorgWarner Thermal Systems. “With our Visctronic fan drive, we help vehicle manufacturers comply with increasingly tight emissions standards. Our new plant allows us to produce these advanced technologies for our customers locally, and our new engineering center expands BorgWarner’s network of technical centers, enhancing our local testing and validation capabilities.”

Rising exhaust gas recirculation rates and higher specific engine outputs are accelerating demand for more effective and efficient airflow solutions. Commercial vehicles, in particular, demand maximum cooling performance even at low driving speeds, according to the company. Already proven in Europe, North America and Asia, BorgWarner’s Visctronic fan drives use specially calibrated software to communicate with the engine’s electronic control unit, constantly responding directly to the engine’s cooling needs. By disengaging and rotating at minimum speed when no air cooling is needed, the technology reduces power consumption. When the engine requires more cooling, the fan drive automatically re-engages to provide efficient air cooling at precisely the right time. In this way, Visctronic fan drives deliver improved fuel economy and lower emissions as well as low noise, vibration and harshness for increased driving comfort.