SAE Online Poll: Lightweight materials to most benefit heavy vehicles for upcoming regs
Lightweight materials will make the greatest impact in helping medium- and heavy-duty trucks achieve upcoming greenhouse gas/fuel efficiency regulations, according to respondents to an online poll posted on SAE Off-Highway Engineering Online and Automotive Engineering International Online for two weeks in late November and early December. Lightweight materials were chosen by about 42% of the 64 respondents, hailing from 15 nations.
Automatic engine shutdown (idle reduction) came in second with nearly 22% of the vote, followed by design optimization (17%), aerodynamics (11%), and intelligent electronics (e.g., predictive cruise control) at almost 8%. Low rolling resistance tires did not receive a vote.
Half (32) of the respondents were from the U.S., who likewise selected lightweight materials as the most beneficial technology area at 37.5%. Design optimization and automatic engine shutdown swapped places compared to the overall vote, with 22% and 19%, respectively. Aerodynamics received nearly 16% of the U.S. vote, and intelligent electronics received just over 6%.
India had the second most respondents with 8, and Canada was third with 5. Countries posting a single vote included Pakistan (for design optimization), Singapore (lightweight materials), Malaysia (intelligent electronics), and Sri Lanka (automatic engine shutdown).
Check out our magazine websites often to respond to new poll questions posted by the editors, and feel free to suggest possible poll topics at sohe@sae.org or aei@sae.org.
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Voting results for the poll question: “Which technology area will make the greatest impact in achieving upcoming greenhouse gas/fuel efficiency regulations for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles?”
Motiv ePCS to power heavy electric trucks in Chicago
San Francisco Bay Area-based startup Motiv Power Systems has been chosen to supply its scalable electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS) to the City of Chicago for 20 all-electric garbage trucks, under an exclusive five-year, $13.4 million contract. The City of Chicago operates 600 garbage trucks in total. The ePCS uses off-the-shelf batteries and motors that can be configured to power medium-duty to Class 8 heavy-duty EV trucks, weighing from 15,000 to 52,000 lb (6800 to 23,500 kg). This design approach can cut operating costs by 50% over an eight-year period, according to Motiv. The company, which was founded in 2009, has been validating its ePCS since March 2012 with an all-electric pilot bus. Funded by a grant from the California Energy Commission, the 20-passenger bus contains five battery packs (125 kW·h) providing a range of more than 120 mi (193 km) on a single charge. The Motiv EV refuse trucks planned for Chicago will use the same ePCS system as the pilot bus, but with a larger motor and 10 battery packs, and will also employ an electric motor to drive the hydraulics system. Motiv will work with partner Detroit Chassis to install the ePCS onto a standard refuse chassis; Loadmaster will provide the truck bodies. Weighing 52,000 lb (23,500 kg), the EV refuse trucks will reportedly have a range of more than 60 mi (97 km), with a total energy storage of 200 kW·h. (Go to www.sae.org/mags/sohe/11486 to read about another recent electrified refuse truck project.)
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Weighing 52,000 lb, the Motiv-powered electric refuse trucks in Chicago will have a range of more than 60 mi (97 km), with a total energy storage of 200 kW·h.
Navistar Defense, partners unveil Special Operations Tactical Vehicle
Navistar Defense LLC, Indigen Armor, and SAIC recently unveiled the team’s Special Operations Tactical Vehicle for the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV) 1.1 program. The vehicle is built on Indigen Armor’s proven Non-Standard Tactical Truck (NSTT) platform and designed to be its modular and overt tactical equivalent. The team’s Special Operations Tactical Vehicle is transportable in an armored and mission-ready state on an M/CH-47 helicopter. The vehicle, which is designed for maximum off-road speed and mobility for a variety of terrain found in desert, jungle, mountain, and arctic environments, incorporates a full government furnished Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) suite. The Special Operations Tactical Vehicle chassis, suspension, powertrain, and armored occupant safety cell were engineered to carry large payloads in three-, five, and seven-man variants. The scalable armor packages meet multiple threat levels and accommodate a variety of low-profile and overt tactical body styles, which allow the vehicle’s profile to be changed at the crew level.
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The team’s Special Operations Tactical Vehicle is built on Indigen Armor’s proven Non-Standard Tactical Truck (NSTT) platform and designed to be its modular, overt tactical equivalent.
EU adopts two regulations on truck safety
The European Union in April adopted two regulations designed to enhance the safety of trucks with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 3500 kg and buses with more than eight passenger seats, according to InterRegs, an online resource for global vehicle safety and emissions regulations. One specifies the technical requirements and test procedures for advanced emergency braking systems (AEBS) that detect the possibility of a collision with a preceding vehicle; warn the driver by a combination of optical, acoustic, or haptic signals; and if the driver takes no action, automatically apply the vehicle’s brakes. The regulation also specifies two levels of performance to be achieved by AEBS. Fitment of AEBS meeting the "level 1" performance requirements becomes mandatory from Nov. 1, 2013 for new types of vehicles and from Nov. 1, 2015 for all new vehicles. The compliance dates for "level 2" are Nov. 1, 2016 for new types of vehicles and Nov. 1, 2018 for all new vehicles. The other regulation specifies the technical requirements and test procedures for lane departure warning systems (LDWS) that detect unintentional drift of the vehicle out of its travel lane and warn the driver by a combination of optical, acoustic, or haptic signals. Fitment LDWS becomes mandatory from Nov. 15, 2013 for new types of vehicles and from Nov. 1, 2015 for all new vehicles. Both regulations contain a list of specific vehicle types, such as urban buses and off-road vehicles, that are exempt. "New types of vehicles" are models being launched for the first time, and "new vehicles" are new vehicles being registered for the first time.
NHTSA proposes ESC for trucks and buses
NHTSA (U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) on May 16 proposed a rule to require that new large commercial truck tractors and buses be equipped with an electronic stability control (ESC) system. If and when the proposed rule is adopted, the mandate would take effect two years later for all new typical 6 x 4 truck tractors and four years for severe-service tractors and tractors with four or more axles. In justifying the lead times, NHTSA noted that there are only two suppliers of ESC systems for truck tractors and large buses: Bendix and WABCO. It said the current rate of ESC installation on new truck tractors is 18%.
It's winter year-round at new test center
Test World Oy is building what it claims is the world's first year-round indoor winter test center, just where one would expect it—within the Arctic Circle. The facility “will remove one of the biggest bottlenecks in the development of vehicles: winter test dependence on the season and prevailing weather,” Harri Eskelinen, President and CEO of the Finland-based company, said in a news release. “We will be able to provide all the test conditions the automotive industry requires year-round.” The 30,000-m² (320,000-ft²) roofed facility will be constructed within the company’s existing Mellatracks outdoor proving ground in Ivalo, located at a latitude of about 69° north in Finnish Lapland, roughly 300 km (200 mi) to the cold side of the Arctic Circle. Vehicle and tire testing will be accommodated in the climate-controlled facility, the first phase of which is to be operational by the end of 2012.
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Construction on what the company calls Test World Indoor was scheduled to begin this month, with the first phase of 3000 m² (30,000 ft²) slated to be operational by the end of 2012.
Azure Dynamics seeks future beyond bankruptcy (video)
Azure Dynamics, a developer and integrator of hybrid-electric and electric components and powertrain systems for commercial vehicles, has filed for bankruptcy. It plans to stay in business and reorganize. "We're really optimistic that we'll come out of this," said company spokesman Mike Elwood. All work at its global branches, including Oak Park, MI, has been "migrated" back to the company's home base in Burnaby, British Columbia, he said. Azure supplies the electric drive system for several commercial vehicles, including the Ford Transit Connect Electric. Elwood told AEI on March 29 that the company is in talks with its customers and hopes to have things "sorted out in a few days" in terms of whether it can restart production for the Transit Connect Electric and other products. (Video shows how Azure's electric drivetrain and related components are fitted to the vehicle)
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The Ford Transit Connect Electric is equipped with Azure Dynamics' patented Force Drive battery-electric drivertrain technology.
VIA and Verizon to develop EVs for Verizon's fleet
Verizon and VIA Motors announced that they will collaborate to develop and demonstrate plug-in electric work vehicles using VIA's eREV (extended range electric vehicle) technology and evaluate the technology for possible wide-scale application into Verizon's fleet. The announcement was made at the National Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, where VIA demonstrated an "electrified" pickup truck and cargo van, two of the most widely used vehicles in Verizon's fleet. Both vehicles use VIA's eREV powertrain technology, enabling them to drive a majority of their daily work routes emission-free and entirely on electric power. The vehicles have up to 40 mi (64 km) of all-electric range, using lithium-ion batteries, with the capability to drive additional miles using VIA's onboard electric generator or range extender. To view a video of the plug-in electric work vehicles using VIA's proprietary eREV technology, visit this link.
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VIA anticipates the Verizon electrified work vehicles should improve fleet fuel economy up to 300% while cutting emissions in half or more.
Scania to deliver trucks to Chinese machinery producer
Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology Co., Ltd. has ordered 375 trucks from Scania that will be used as a platform for mobile concrete pumps. The deliveries are scheduled to occur in April. The Swedish heavy truck and bus maker has delivered trucks to Zoomlion since 2008, including Zoomlion’s largest mobile concrete pumps, which have a span up to 80 m (262 ft) and are mounted on Scania’s four- and five-axle truck chassis with six-cylinder, 420- to 470-hp (313- to 351-kW) engines. The pumps are used in the construction of high-rise buildings and bridges, for example. Within its modular product system, Scania produces the truck chassis that are then customized for Zoomlion’s needs regarding bodywork and operation. Scania China has trained personnel at Zoomlion’s service workshops and has also established special teams of service technicians who can assist in the event of operational disruptions.
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Uptime and performance are key for Scania concrete pumps, which can work constantly with maximum torque for 14 hours per day. Pictured is a Scania P 380 8x4 concrete pump.
Military, motorsports industries collaborate to boost military vehicle performance
The Military Vehicle High Performance Capabilities (MVHPC) project, developed by U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) to help bring motorsports industry technologies and capabilities to the military’s wheeled vehicle fleets, is managed by the Institute for Defense and Business and IMSolutions LLC, with help from the Marine Corps Systems Command. The North Carolina Department of Commerce and North Carolina Military Foundation are also part of the collaborative effort. “This project provides a valuable link between two of North Carolina’s biggest industries,” Hagan said in a statement. “The motorsports industry is developing cutting-edge technology that can significantly improve the mobility and safety of our military vehicles.” MVHPC partners will evaluate lessons learned and technological solutions developed by the commercial motorsports industry that are potentially beneficial to the U.S. military for possible integration into military vehicles. Several capability demonstrations have already been held, with more to come, linking military commands with motorsports companies. One goal of these demos is to facilitate interest in the motorsports sector to diversify their business to include military vehicle systems and contracting opportunities.
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