How can the off highway equipment application field shift from diesel power to other power sources?
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have a variety of options for powering their heavy off highway equipment: diesel, gasoline, electrification, alternative fuels, and hybrid configurations. What are the driving factors for turning to electric or hybrid mobile devices? What factors affect power selection decisions?
Dr. Wilfried aulbur, senior partner of Roland Berger, an industry consultant, said: "The off-road field will need to adopt different technologies for different application objects. Most compact equipment, such as small excavators, are good application objects of battery electric equipment because they require small power density changes in their working conditions. On the other hand, hybrid technology is more suitable for larger heavy-duty applications because hybrid configuration can provide significant operating cost advantages and performance stability. Some original Equipment manufacturers claim to reduce fuel consumption by more than 25%. "
Objective: to reduce emissions and achieve sustainable development goals
As we all know, climate change and the global goal of reducing emissions are the reasons for abandoning the use of fossil fuels. Other reasons for some OEMs to abandon diesel include the needs of end users or customers and meeting the environmental society and Governance (ESG) sustainable development goals, which are beyond the scope of environmental management. It can be understood that environmental problems are the main driving factor, and the goal of OEM is to provide end users with what they want.
"Many utility companies have set the goal of achieving 100% electric vehicles by 2030. Helping our customers achieve their sustainable development goals has been and continues to be the top priority of Terex utilities," said Joe Caywood, director of marketing and product management of Terex utilities. As Terex's customer needs change, the company will conduct transformation and research to meet their needs.
"Customer demand is the product of many factors and the driving force behind the trend of hybrid and electric equipment," said Zach Gilmor, product manager of genie. "Regulatory requirements are clearly one of the factors driving electrification. With the restrictions on noise and emissions imposed by regulations, the demand for efficient, clean and quiet site equipment is increasing. In addition, hybrid and electric equipment can also help the company achieve its ESG sustainable development goals."
Technology and equipment innovation required to meet emission regulations and customer needs requires research and investment. This is the top priority of Allison transmission team.
"In the next few years, OEMs in the off highway industry will seek to promote solution manufacturers when they begin to evaluate the electric vehicle capability," said Kartik ramanan, executive director of global off highway, customer support and service engineering of Allison transmission. "Allison is committed to playing a leading role in promoting sustainable development and environmental initiatives in the global market. Allison has made about $350 million in direct investment to promote electrification propulsion technology."
According to Caywood, Terex has also been making this investment. "For more than 15 years, we have been investing in green solutions. Every time it is launched, it is the right solution that uses the technology available at that time."
Although all electric devices are the target of many end users and OEMs, there are challenges that hinder the transition of some mobile devices.
Challenge of electrification
The transition from internal combustion engine (ice) passenger vehicles to electric vehicles is progressing smoothly. However, OEMs that produce heavy mobile vehicles face challenges when trying to achieve 100% electrification. Including:
Technical limitations
Power demand and expectation of electrification
Charging infrastructure
Higher cost
Giovanni schelfi, head of Roland Berger, said that the biggest constraints of battery powered equipment (such as excavators) are battery cost and charging availability at the construction site. "In addition, significant improvements in battery technology and charging technology are needed to make use feasible, such as by night charging," schelfi said.
According to Gilmor, a holistic approach to electrification can help OEMs avoid some challenges. "We considered not only the power supply, but also the entire design of the machine to take advantage of motorization and improve efficiency, improve site performance and reduce total cost of ownership," Gilmor said.
Technical limitations
Initially, Terex's plan to produce all electric multipurpose trucks was limited by technology. "In general, we are waiting for reliable technologies to be available. We had this vision long ago, but things like battery management systems were unreliable and the batteries were too heavy," Caywood said.
Technology remains a challenge for some OEMs. Although battery system innovations have emerged, not all types and sizes of mobile devices can be fully electric. Usually, the electric power is insufficient to meet many actions required by these vehicles, including starting, accelerating and transient operation.
A priori expectation of end users
Even if the power capability matches the function of the equipment, some end users believe that electric vehicles will not run well or be as efficient as internal combustion engine ice.
"We are beginning to transcend the challenges of perception," Gilmore said. "As more and more people come into contact with hybrid and electric equipment in the workplace, and we see more and more in our personal life, this view is changing and people are realizing the benefits of electrification."
With the expansion of the use of electric vehicles, people's views are changing. This technology has become a part of daily life, and many major automobile manufacturers either produce electric vehicles or plan to produce them in the near future. Some manufacturers have pledged to switch to all electric vehicles in the future, including general motors. Ford recently produced an all electric F150 truck lightning and received more than 200000 orders.
"As more and more people come into contact with hybrid and electric equipment in the workplace, and as we see more and more in our personal lives, this view is changing, and people are realizing the benefits of electrification," Gilmore said.
infrastructure
Charging infrastructure is a major challenge beyond the control of OEMs and a major challenge. For the construction industry, most construction sites have no power supply at the beginning of the project. Even if there is electricity, the problem still exists.
"Even if there is electricity on site, there is a problem with the physical space needed to achieve full electrification," Gilmore said. "Many construction sites are already limited by space, and it is impractical to have space to place all equipment for overnight charging."
Hybrid scheme
Electrification is not the only low emission technology. Since some vehicles cannot be 100% electric, hybrid power may be the solution. Research and equipment around alternative fuels (hydrogen, natural gas and biofuels) continue to grow. In addition, many OEMs are producing components and systems that operate in hybrid configurations.
Enhanced images of off-road vehicles equipped with walking power driven products
In off-road heavy-duty mobile vehicles, the hybrid approach usually outperforms 100% electric solutions. As mentioned earlier, the main reason is the power limitation of large equipment and specific functions. Although alternative fuels are an option being studied by engine OEMs, hybrid diesel electric equipment is common.
An example of Bosch Rexroth is the electro-hydraulic system for equipment, but the main driver is usually still the diesel engine ice. Although Bosch Rexroth focuses on fluid power, the need to reduce emissions and the expectation of integrated, automated and electrified components have stimulated the shift to electrification.
Another example comes from Allison transmission. The bus is driven by hybrid power, but according to the operating conditions, the full electric driving mileage is allowed to be up to 10 miles. This can be used when entering areas that require low noise or low emissions.
Kartik ramanan, executive director of global off highway, customer support and service engineering of Allison transmission, said: "as the interest in electrification continues to grow, many vehicles are still unwilling to fully invest in all electric vehicles in the early stage." "Important feedback from customers inspired Allison to develop Egen flex, which enhanced the functions of long-distance buses and buses, and effectively served as a bridge solution between traditional fuel and all electric solutions."
In addition to hybrid transmission, Allison transmission also produces electric axles. Egen power 100D is the first e-axis launched by Allison in 2020. It is powerful and fully integrated. It was developed for heavy trucks, such as 6 x 2 tractors.
Genie has been producing all electric and hybrid methods in its vehicles for some time. "More than 70% of the equipment manufactured by Genie has been electrified," Gillmore said. "Our Fe hybrid technology can be used in a range of Genie cantilever lifts, which have been on the market since it was launched on our cantilever lifts six years ago."
Terex owns all electric bucket trucks, but it also uses hybrid solutions. "Over the years, we have provided a hybrid solution to reduce idling, fuel use and exhaust emissions," Caywood said. "At different stages, we have several hybrid models working in this field and continue to see that this solution helps reduce emissions and achieve sustainable development goals."
Hybrid challenge: parallel architecture or tandem architecture?
Ramanan said that for electric hybrid solutions, we must make a choice - should we use parallel or series architecture? Each architecture faces trade-offs.
"Allison was initially launched using a tandem architecture," ramanan said. "Allison later invested in the conversion to a parallel architecture. This change enabled Allison's electric hybrid system to realize the advantages of electric hybrid propulsion while still providing direct mechanical connection to the driveline to maximize performance and torque transmission."
This is a key decision because it allows the system to operate large commercial vehicles on a larger scale while meeting performance requirements. For a tandem architecture, this can be challenging and perhaps impossible.
"Allison then further optimized our architecture by adding a separate clutch to the transmission in our parallel electric hybrid system," said ramanan.
This achieves the efficiency advantage of the series hybrid system by creating a mechanism that allows the system to disconnect from the mechanical connection when it does not need to meet the power demand. This disconnection is determined by the vehicle operator through the throttle input.
Technologies from Allison, genie and Terex
The participants interviewed in this article have a variety of available electric and hybrid options that can help OEMs provide electric and hybrid options for mobile and off-road equipment.
Allison transmission
The 4000 series transmission terratran is designed for off-road applications such as mobile cranes, articulated dumpers, wide body mining dumpers and defense vehicles.
H 40 / 50 EP, electric hybrid propulsion system has been operated on buses for nearly 20 years.
Egen power 100D electric vehicle axle (e-axel).
Egen power 130d is specially designed for the European and Asia Pacific markets. Many commercial vehicles need a heavier 13 ton gross axle weight.
The Egen power 100s electric bridge is designed to meet the needs of heavy 6x4 tractors and heavy straight trucks, as well as medium-sized trucks and school bus applications.
Genie
All electric arm lift.
AC drive equipment, including plate scissor lift and dobby lift.
DC electric arm elevator.
Terex
Viatec's hypower smartpto is a simple and reliable product that can reduce idling, increase fuel saving and minimize noise and air pollution (earlier this year, Terex announced its investment in viatec, Inc.).
Optima 55 aviation equipment powered by viatec's hypower smartpto is now available on the international Navistar EMV 33000 GVW chassis.
Facing the future
Fluid transmission is still the main way to power medium and heavy off highway equipment. Traditional diesel driven ice is still the main power mode in the current pattern. This will continue in the short term.
"In the future, it is crucial for all companies to maintain sustainable competitiveness to prove that their business can cope with the coming ESG challenges," aulbur said "Therefore, most off-road vehicle participants are committed to making sustainability a key strategic theme, and some original equipment manufacturers have set challenging goals for themselves. This includes achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Hybrid diesel engine technology consumes much less fuel than traditional internal combustion engines, uses less hydraulic transmission and uses fewer components, providing a practical bridge to achieve these goals."
Facing the future, under the national "double carbon" strategy and with the in-depth promotion of air pollution prevention and control, the relevant government departments have paid more attention to and taken relevant actions to further strengthen the emission control of non-road machinery, such as the newly issued policy on defining the prohibited use area of high emission non-road mobile machinery. At the technical level, "electrification, intelligence and digitization" is the key core of research, development, production and manufacturing of non road mobile machinery products; At the energy level, enterprises have also focused their research and development on the use of new energy and alternative energy. Electric, intelligent agricultural machinery and engineering machinery are the current trend.
The Fifth China International Summit on non road mobile machinery, to be held in Shanghai from August 25 to 26, 2022, will discuss in detail the summary and suggestions on the implementation of the four national standards for non road mobile machinery that are most concerned by the industry, predict the upgrading route of the five national standards, analyze the structural changes and future trends of the non road industry, and share the latest technologies and future trends of new energy application in the non road industry, as well as the intelligent, safe Green development strategy and other hot topics.
