What are the challenges of the electrification of off-highway equipment right this moment and what does the longer term maintain? Stefan Eichler from Danfoss Energy Options provides his professional perception
A key participant in off-highway automobile elements, Danfoss Energy Options is now, like a lot of the trade, targeted on sustainability and lowering or eliminating emissions. With over 17 years expertise on the firm, senior supervisor Stefan Eicher is effectively 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 value of possession (TCO) and bettering the machine efficiency with electrification. Till now, we’ve 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. Prospects forecast excessive however order low as a result of they’re unsure about funding. By way of normal traits, all the most important 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 maintain the diesel however additionally they need to scale back the TCO and noise ranges.
How will machine design change?
Typical 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 in case you design it for an electrical drive. There’s no want for exhaust therapy, and right this moment that’s as massive because the diesel engine. So you’ve extra space to work with and due to this fact extra flexibility in designing the machine. You may as well put the motor in vertically which is inconceivable with a diesel engine.
“Till now, we’ve had electrified, formally diesel-driven machines, however OEMs are beginning to design machines for the aim of being electrical”
Are there any widespread misconceptions about electrification?
Electrification doesn’t simply imply a battery; it’s rather more. Many individuals are involved in regards to the infrastructure bringing vitality to the place it’s wanted – such because the cable within the floor being too small. So you possibly can both improve the battery capability on a machine otherwise you put a battery on the website and use it to cost a couple of 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. At the moment, everyone is missing operators, warehouses and on-highway trucking. If we actually begin considering from a TCO perspective and electrify, autonomous autos are the pure subsequent step. We’re already seeing it with plenty of massive OEMs who’ve developed proof-of-concept driverless excavators and wheel loaders, for instance.
This text was first printed within the August problem of iVT Worldwide
