What are the challenges of the electrification of off-highway equipment at this time and what does the longer term maintain? Stefan Eichler from Danfoss Energy Options offers his professional perception
A key participant in off-highway automobile parts, Danfoss Energy Options is now, like a lot of the business, targeted on sustainability and decreasing or eliminating emissions. With over 17 years expertise on the firm, senior supervisor Stefan Eicher is properly positioned to take the long-term view of the electrification mega development.
How do you see electrification advancing within the subsequent 5 or 10 years?
The drivers are altering, so electrification will advance sooner than anticipated. At first, it was about carbon footprint and sustainability. Now, it’s extra about whole price of possession (TCO) and bettering 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. When it comes to normal developments, all the most important firms are on board however there are completely 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 completely different in the event you design it for an electrical drive. There’s no want for exhaust remedy, and at this time that’s as huge because the diesel engine. So you will have extra space to work with and due to this fact extra flexibility in designing the machine. You may also put the motor in vertically which is unimaginable 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 far 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 may both improve the battery capability on a machine otherwise you put a battery on the web site 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. Presently, everyone is missing operators, warehouses and on-highway trucking. If we actually begin pondering from a TCO perspective and electrify, autonomous automobiles 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 subject of iVT Worldwide
