Truck & Bus News

Briefs

BrightDrop bright start

Earlier in the year Brightdrop, a subsidiary of GM, announced two marquee electric light commercial vehicles – the EV600 and its mid-size counterpart, the EV410.In December 500 EV600s were delivered to FedEx Express. Those vehicles are already out in the field making deliveries today in Los Angeles. That milestone established the EV600 as the fastest vehicle produced, from concept to market, in GM’s history. Then the company landed some of the world’s largest companies as EV customers, Walmart has signed an agreement to reserve 5,000 EVs, and FedEx entered into an agreement to secure priority for production of an additional 2,000 EVs on top of the 500 they were already slated to receive. In addition to becoming a leading commercial EV provider, the company developed an electric cart designed to transport goods over short distances – for example, from a delivery vehicle to a front door.

Electric Last Mile Solutions

This is another US manufacturer who has already delivered with a range of vehicles including the Urban Delivery van about the size of a Ford Transit and very conventional in its looks and very affordable which is attracting sales from couriers, contractors and tradies.

Stellantis

Stellantis, the company that was the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the French PSA Group, has a deal with Amazon to sell the company the Ram ProMaster delivery vans in 2023. While Stellantis has not officially revealed the electric vans, Amazon is expected to become the first commercial customer when it eventually enters production.

Kenworth has its first Class 8 electric truck

In the US Kenworth has unveiled its first US Class 8 electric truck designed for a gross vehicle weight rating of about 37 tonnes, the Kenworth T680E electric tractor features a Meritor powertrain and offers 400 kW of continuous or 500 kW of peak power.It is equipped with a 396 kWh capacity battery for approximately a 240 kilometres range and can be charged at up to 120 kW via a CCS1 DC fast-charging port, the T680E can be fully charged in about three hours.

New ADRs for commercial vehicles in Australia

In late February 2022, the Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Kevin Hogan MP, signed two new Australian Design Rules (ADRs):

• ADR 97/00 – Advanced Emergency

Braking (AEB) for Omnibuses, and

Medium and Heavy Goods Vehicles; and • ADR 35/07 – Commercial Vehicle Brake

Systems. Both ADRs are published on the Federal Register of Legislation (www.legislation.gov.au) and are available together with the associated Explanatory Statements and Final Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) at: • ADR 97/00 – www.legislation.gov.au/

Details/F2022L00211/Download • ADR 35/07 – www.legislation.gov.au/

Details/F2022L00213/Download ADR 97/00 mandates Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB) systems for buses, and goods vehicles greater than 3.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM), to avoid or mitigate the severity of rear-end in lane collisions. ADR 35/07 expands the applicability of the mandatory requirements for a Vehicle Stability Function incorporating both rollover control and directional control (otherwise known as Electronic Stability Control or ESC for heavy vehicles) under the preceding ADR 35/06, to all categories of buses, and goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes GVM. Both ADRs will be mandatory for new models from 1 November 2023, all new buses from 1 November 2024, and all new goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes GVM from 1 February 2025. Exemptions from mandatory fitment of AEB and ESC are provided for buses specially designed with spaces for standing passengers, articulated buses, trucks with four or more axles, and trucks and buses ‘designed for off-road use’ (as defined in each ADR). These are equivalent to exemptions in place in the European Union. Mandating AEB for heavy vehicles was identified as a priority in Future Steps of the National Road Safety Strategy 2011-2020 (NRSS) as well as a Priority Action (item 4) of the National Road Safety Action Plan 20182020 (NRSAP). The expansion of the scope of application of the mandatory requirements for ESC on heavy vehicles, follows a commitment from the Commonwealth in the RIS for ADR 35/06, to consider this as part of the RIS for AEB on heavy vehicles.

Hydrogen Dakar truck

After its successful run in the Dakar Rally in January 2022 in Saudi Arabia, Gaussin’s H2 Racing Truck – the first hydrogen truck to complete the challenging rally will be exhibited internationally from Europe to the US and Canada.

The truck will also be accompanied by other vehicles from the Gaussin range, including the APM, the ATM and the Cit-e (ex-Bluebus). According to Gaussin the H2 Racing Truck is the most powerful 100 percent hydrogen and electric racing truck ever built, performed well at the 2022 Dakar Rally. It ran from the Red Sea, in Jeddah, through the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia traversing to Hail, Al Artawiyah, Al Qaisumah, Riyadh, Al Dawadimi, Wadi Ad Dawasir, Bisha and returning in the final sprint of the race to Jeddah, where it all began. This heavy class 8 truck was entered in the experimental category of the Dakar 2022 for new clean energies The H2 Racing Truck is a showcase of Gaussin’s latest innovations. Unlike the solutions currently available on the market, the implementation of the hydrogen system has been developed on the basis of an ultralight chassis, designed around the hydrogen and electric powertrain and based on a modular skateboard launched last April. It is the precursor of Gaussin’s new range of 100 percent hydrogen and electric road trucks, designed by Pininfarina, which will be marketed this year and of which it is the first model.

Active Grip for Volvo trucks

Volvo Trucks has launched a new patented safety feature for electric trucks – Active Grip Control.

The new technology significantly improves stability, acceleration and braking in slippery conditions. Thanks to the fast response of the electric motors, the force generated between the wheels and the road can be controlled in an instant to proactively prevent wheel spin. The feature clearly improves acceleration in slippery conditions. Tests performed with the Volvo FH Electric on a low friction surface with a loaded trailer showed 45 percent improvement at full acceleration. “The improvement when going up a slippery, gravel road is really impressive. I believe this will increase productivity, not least for our construction customers,” said Anna Wrige Berling, Traffic & Product Safety Director at Volvo Trucks. If the truck starts to skid, multiple sensors allow the vehicle’s control system to react to the road surface conditions and utilize the vehicle’s electric motors, along with other actuators, in an intelligent way to help the driver stay on the road. The new feature is also designed to reduce the risk for jack-knifing and oversteering when driving unloaded. Improvements can also be seen when braking, as the function can be used for controlled regenerative braking without going into ABS. This increases efficiency, since more time is spent in regeneration, allowing for a smoother braking experience. The Active Grip Control feature will be available on the heavy-duty Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX Electric trucks, that are used for regional haul and construction operations. A version of the feature will also be available on trucks with a diesel or LNG driveline.

NSW orders 79 electric Denning buses

The NSW Government is supporting the creation of local manufacturing jobs in Western Sydney with a $70 million investment to transition the state’s bus fleet to zero-emissions technology.

Western Sydney-based company Custom Denning has been awarded a contract to design, manufacture and assembly 79 new electric buses. Minister for Transport and Veterans David Elliott said the $70 million investment takes the number of bus orders placed with Custom Denning past 100, which will help drive a post pandemic jobs recovery and a boost for local manufacturing. Once built, the 79 buses will operate services in Sydney’s inner west. Transport for NSW, in collaboration with its contracted bus operators, have ordered 101 electric buses from Custom Denning.

Fortescue purchases Williams to become greener

Fortescue Metals Group has entered into a share sale and purchase agreement to acquire 100 percent of Williams Advanced Engineering Limited (WAE) from EMK Capital and Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited for $294 million.

WAE will be vertically integrated into Fortescue’s diversified resources and green energy business. Fortescue has worked closely with WAE since early 2021 to design and build a prototype battery system to power an electric mining haul truck. The acquisition of WAE provides critical technology and expertise in high-performance battery systems and electrification and will enable Fortescue to accelerate and support the decarbonisation of Fortescue’s mining operations as well as establishing an important new business growth opportunity. Together, Fortescue and WAE will develop battery electric solutions for Fortescue’s rail, mobile haul fleet and other heavy mining equipment. In addition, Fortescue and WAE will work together to grow WAE’s worldleading green technology and engineering business. One of the first major projects to be developed will be a world leading battery electric train concept. “For decades, Sir Frank Williams’ F1 racing business was at the forefront of innovation in engineering and I thank him for his pioneering vision in founding WAE over a decade ago. I was sorry to hear of his passing last year and I pay tribute to him. I have huge respect for him, his family and the Williams’ business,” Fortescue Founder and Chairman Dr Andrew Forrest AO said.

Briefs

From seats to fuel cell production

Through its Symbio joint venture with Michelin, Faurecia is investing beyond its interior-systems base into the fuel-cell future. The French Tier-1 supplier, whose automotive seating and interiors businesses accounted for nearly 69 percent of sales in 2020, is staking a significant slice of its future growth in hydrogen fuel-cell systems. The company currently has hydrogen-related development activities with nine OEMs. Three of them – Hyundai, Stellanis, and Renault – have hydrogen fuel cell vehicles fitted with Faurecia storage tanks and related hardware entering production in 2021.

Cummins and Izuzu create a battery truck

Cummins and Isuzu Motors Limited announced an agreement to create a prototype medium-duty, battery electric truck to be developed for North America, it is the first zero-emissions solution by the Isuzu Cummins Powertrain Partnership (ICPP) formed in May 2019. Cummins will integrate the Cummins Power Drive 6000 into Isuzu’s F-Series truck.

Mac has its first Class 8 electric truck

Mack Trucks’ first fully electric Class 8 vehicle, the Mack LR Electric, has entered production. Mack announced the launch of the LR Electric in 2018 and delivered its first demonstration truck to the New York City Department of Sanitation in 2020 to undergo real-world testing. Having passed its evaluation cycle, the LR Electric being delivered to customers. The LR Electric is powered by four lithium-ion batteries and can be charged via a 150-kW, SAE J1772-compliant charging system. The NMC (nickel manganese cobalt oxide) batteries provide power to a pair of AC motors with a combined peak output of 400 kW (536 hp) and a continuous output of 334 kW (448 hp). A three-mode regenerative braking system enables energy recapture from the truck’s frequent stops. The LR Electric has a range of 113 Km with a charge time of 90 minutes at a rate of 150 kW.