What are the challenges of the electrification of off-highway equipment at present and what does the longer term maintain? Stefan Eichler from Danfoss Energy Options offers his knowledgeable perception
A key participant in off-highway automobile elements, Danfoss Energy Options is now, like a lot of the business, targeted on sustainability and lowering or eliminating emissions. With over 17 years expertise on the firm, senior supervisor Stefan Eicher is nicely positioned to take the long-term view of the electrification mega pattern.
How do you see electrification advancing within the subsequent 5 or 10 years?
The drivers are altering, so electrification will advance quicker than anticipated. To start with, it was about carbon footprint and sustainability. Now, it’s extra about complete price of possession (TCO) and enhancing the machine efficiency with electrification. Till now, now we have had electrified, formally diesel-driven machines, however OEMs are beginning to design their machines for the aim of being electrical. Gross sales are growing due to this, and OEMs at the moment are growing their manufacturing of electrical machines.
Proper now, there’s uncertainty available in the market. Clients forecast excessive however order low as a result of they’re unsure about funding. By way of basic developments, all the key corporations are on board however there are totally different drivers by market. Agriculture, for instance, is closely electrifying, however tends to go hybrid. They need to hold the diesel however in addition they need to scale back the TCO and noise ranges.
How will machine design change?
Standard machines have been constructed across the diesel engine, even within the mechanical construction, for instance, with a crankshaft, the extension of the crankshaft and the pumps. The superstructure of the machine will look totally different for those who design it for an electrical drive. There’s no want for exhaust remedy, and at present that’s as large because the diesel engine. So you will have more room to work with and subsequently extra flexibility in designing the machine. You may as well put the motor in vertically which is unattainable with a diesel engine.
“Till now, now we have had electrified, formally diesel-driven machines, however OEMs are beginning to design machines for the aim of being electrical”
Are there any frequent misconceptions about electrification?
Electrification doesn’t simply imply a battery; it’s rather more. Many individuals are involved concerning the infrastructure bringing vitality to the place it’s wanted – such because the cable within the floor being too small. So you may both enhance the battery capability on a machine otherwise you put a battery on the website and use it to cost multiple machine. We have to rethink the place the vitality is and the way we offer the vitality. In off-highway, there are answers already confirmed in use.
What different applied sciences will emerge round electrification?
Electrification is the enabler for autonomous machines. Presently, all people is missing operators, warehouses and on-highway trucking. If we actually begin pondering from a TCO perspective and electrify, autonomous autos are the pure subsequent step. We’re already seeing it with quite a lot of massive OEMs who’ve developed proof-of-concept driverless excavators and wheel loaders, for instance.
This text was first printed within the August subject of iVT Worldwide
