What are the challenges of the electrification of off-highway equipment in the present day 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 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. At first, it was about carbon footprint and sustainability. Now, it’s extra about whole 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 rising due to this, and OEMs at the moment are rising 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 tendencies, all the most important corporations 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 preserve 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 completely different should you design it for an electrical drive. There’s no want for exhaust remedy, and in the present day that’s as large because the diesel engine. So you’ve gotten extra space to work with and due to this fact extra flexibility in designing the machine. You too can put the motor in vertically which is unimaginable 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 way 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’ll be able to 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. At present, all people is missing operators, warehouses and on-highway trucking. If we actually begin considering from a TCO perspective and electrify, autonomous automobiles are the pure subsequent step. We’re already seeing it with lots of massive OEMs who’ve developed proof-of-concept driverless excavators and wheel loaders, for instance.
This text was first revealed within the August situation of iVT Worldwide
