B&B Electronics Onboard Diagnostics Telematics Devices Support Ford’s EcoBoost Technology

OTTAWA, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--B&B Electronics, makers of the Streamer line of on-board diagnostics (OBD) OBDII devices, announced that it now supports the new Ford EcoBoost™ gas-turbo direct-injection engine, a new option on the popular F-150 Ford fleet truck. Because the EcoBoost does not directly measure Mass Air Flow (MAF) on the engine, a key element in calculating the instant fuel rate diagnostic intelligence that helps fleet managers optimize their efficiency and costs, B&B has developed a specific algorithm to extract MAF and feed it into Telematics Service Providers’ (TSPs) fleet management applications.

Ford is betting heavily on the new EcoBoost which can improve fuel economy by up to 20 percent without sacrificing power. The F-150, a part of the Ford F Series which is said to be the most popular truck in North America, is the first Ford fleet vehicle to offer the EcoBoost engine. F-150s that shipped with the EcoBoost hit about 40 percent of overall sales by spring 2011, and rose to 43 percent of F-150 retail sales by May 2012 (http://www.forbes.com/sites/dalebuss/2012/06/03/ford-guns-ecoboost-engine-tech-brand-and-it-races-past-sync/).

B&B Electronics’ Automotive Business Unit, which has developed a deep understanding of vehicle diagnostics since founding in 1996, is known for its vehicle-specific extraction/calculation techniques and proprietary automated polling technology that ensures vehicle data is up to date. Specifically, B&B retrieves and translates the often complicated and non-standard OBD data (vehicle/engine speed; odometer/distance traveled; instant fuel rate and total fuel; diagnostic trouble codes; emissions; and ignition, brake switch and seatbelt status), and then presents it to the TSP’s application in a simple-to-use format.

This data must often be calculated on a per-vehicle basis using sophisticated algorithms and modeling techniques, as is the case with the EcoBoost engine.

B&B’s standard Streamer device began supporting EcoBoost with B&B’s June 2012 shipments. The company offers one standard unit that can operate with any vehicle on B&B’s supported list, making it easier for TSPs to order and stock a single item for replacements, spares, etc. The standard unit comes in 3 form factors (external box, chipset, daughter board) or an embedded IP license.

The Automotive Business Unit is one of the fastest-growing divisions of B&B Electronics, which specializes overall in rugged, reliable industrial connectivity and communications solutions.

About B&B Electronics:

Founded in 1981, B&B Electronics Manufacturing Co., Inc. provides M2M connectivity solutions for wireless and wired networks based on serial, Ethernet, wireless and USB communication technologies. Specializing in connectivity out at the “edge” of networks in remote, harsh and uncontrolled environments, the company is known globally for its easy to use, rugged and reliable device networking products, as well as for its knowledgeable technical support and responsive customer service. B&B Electronics is located at 707 Dayton Road, P.O. Box 1040, Ottawa, IL 61350, 800-346-3119 and at www.bb-elec.com on the Internet.

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