HIGH POINT, N.C. — Thomas Built Buses is now accepting orders for school buses equipped with Detroit DD5 and DD8 engines.
The DD5 engine is a 5.1L in-line four-cylinder engine adapted specifically for the Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2. It offers a 200 to 240 horsepower range and a torque range of 560 to 660 lb.-ft.
The Detroit DD8 engine is a 7.7L in-line six-cylinder medium-duty engine, specifically developed for the Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner HDX. It provides a horsepower range of 260 to 300 and a torque range of 660 to 860 lb.-ft.
Both the DD5 and DD8 feature power and best-in-class fuel economy thanks to a state-of-the-art design that allows usable power and torque to be reached at lower engine speeds. School districts can expect at least a 3% improvement in fuel economy compared to other diesel engines in the category, according to Thomas Built Buses.
Longer service intervals also are a key differentiator, with oil and filter change intervals up to 45,000 miles (or either 18 months or 1,500 hours, whichever comes sooner.) The Detroit engines feature top-load oil and fuel filters for easier serviceability, according to the manufacturer.
“We’ve been waiting for this day for a long time,” said Caley Edgerly, president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses. “Both of these engines were developed from the ground up specifically for the medium-duty industry.”
Edgerly added that the clean-sheet design of the engines is only new to the school bus industry: the proprietary engine platform was launched in Europe in 2013.
More than 90,000 engines are running on this platform successfully today, he said.
