AFV Truck/Commercial Vehicle and (non-BEV) Bus thread

[GRA]

Via GCC:

SAIC introduces large electric panel van in Europe: Maxus EV80

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/10/20171004-saic.html

. . . The Maxus EV80 and is available as a panel van and a chassis cab, providing practicality and extensive versatility demanded by fleet operators. The panel van features a cargo area length of 3300 mm, width of 1770 mm and height of 1710 mm, resulting in a total volume of 10.2 m3, accessible through wide-opening rear and side doors. The maximum payload capacity is 950 kg (2,100 lbs). The chassis cab is similarly competitive in its capabilities and also boasts a maximum towing mass of 750 kg (1,650 lbs).

With a range of 200 km (124 miles) and charging time of just two hours, the Maxus EV80 is expected to be suited to businesses with typical usage cycles that incorporate predominantly urban routes. Maxus offers a three-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, and a battery warranty of five years or 100,000 km.

The two EV80 variants feature a competitive level of standard specification, including (depending on variant) rear parking sensors, air conditioning, and heated electrically adjustable side mirrors. . . .

[GRA]

All via GCC:

Deutsche Post DHL Group, ZF deploying test fleet of autonomous electric delivery trucks based on NVIDIA Drive PX

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/10/20171010-dhl.html

. . . StreetScooter ramps up. A subsidiary of Deutsche Post DHL Group, StreetScooter confirmed that its second manufacturing facility will be built in Düren and be capable of producing up to 10,000 e-vehicles per year. Operations at the 78,000 square meter facility, owned by the automotive supplier Neapco, will begin in the second quarter of 2018. With factories in both Aachen and Düren, StreetScooter will reach the production capacities announced this year of up to 20,000 e-vehicles per annum, with another expansion possible if the facility switches to two or even three shift operations.

With Deutsche Post DHL Group and a number of third-party customers looking to cost-effectively increase range for use in other applications, the company is now producing the currently available model also with boosted performance: Joining the current vehicle that features a range of 80 kilometers (50 miles) and a top speed of approximately 85 km/h (53 mph) will be a new model that boasts a range of 200 kilometers (124 miles) and a top speed of around 120 km/h (75 mph).

In addition, Deutsche Post is now testing several hundred StreetScooter WORK L’s equipped for the first time with fuel cell drives. These vehicles could travel more than 500 kilometers (311 miles) and Deutsche Post DHL Group is planning test runs for the next two years.

Motiv Power Systems providing two battery-electric refuse trucks to LA

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/10/20171010-motiv.html

. . . As a continuation of a demonstration project funded by the California Energy Commission, these Class-8 ERVs use the Motiv All-Electric Powertrain to drive a Crane Carrier chassis, with an automated side-loader body built by Amrep, Inc.

The trucks will be built by Amrep, Inc. in Los Angeles and are projected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2018. The City of Los Angeles Sanitation plans to run the ERVs on residential and recycling routes and expects to save as much as 6,000 gallons of fuel per year. Upon delivery, the Los Angeles ERVs bring the all-electric refuse trucks powered by Motiv to a total of three in California and four within North America.

Rather than having customized vehicles provided by a variety of vendors, Motiv’s modular design allows the same All-Electric Powertrain to be used across the full range of a city’s work trucks, from Class 4 through Class 8. The use of a single electric powertrain system for all the city’s electric work trucks simplifies the maintenance and operation of a growing municipal electric vehicle fleet, reducing the cost of spare parts and training. . . .

Similar to Motiv-powered electric refuse trucks on the road in Sacramento, the Los Angeles trucks will have a payload capacity of nine tons and 1,000 pounds per cubic yard of compaction. All Motiv ERVs are equipped with 10 battery packs, expandable to 12 packs if needed for future route expansion.

With up to 212 kWh of power, the Motiv powered ERVs supply enough electricity to efficiently move the truck and power the electric hydraulics throughout the day, supporting a range between 50-80 miles, depending upon the pack size. Using the Motiv universal high power charger (480V, 50 kW), the ERV batteries will easily reach full charge overnight. . . .

BYD unveils North America’s largest electric bus factory; capacity for up to 1,500 vehicles annually

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/10/20171010-byd.html

. . . The BYD Coach and Bus facility also supports R&D and assembly for BYD’s battery-electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks, including delivery, drayage, refuse, and yard trucks, among other product lines. These trucks incorporate the same proven core components that are used in BYD’s commercialized buses and vehicles with several hundred million service-proven miles. By the end of 2017, BYD will have delivered 70 all-electric trucks to 15 customers in North America, with orders for more than 140 trucks to-date.

[GRA]

Via GCC:

Toyota fuel-cell Class 8 prototype to start drayage routes at Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/10/21071012-portal.html

Unveiled earlier this year (earlier post), Toyota Motor North America’s (TMNA) “Project Portal” fuel-cell-powered Class 8 truck proof-of-concept has completed more than 4,000 successful development miles, while progressively pulling drayage rated cargo weight, and emitting nothing but water vapor.

With testing and development miles completed, Project Portal will begin initial feasibility study routes, moving goods from select Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach terminals to surrounding rail yards and warehouses for distribution. Toyota estimates the truck’s daily trips will total around 200 miles (322 km).

These localized, frequent route patterns are designed to test the demanding drayage duty-cycle capabilities of the fuel cell system while capturing real world performance data. As the study progresses, longer haul routes will be introduced. . . .

The Project Portal heavy-duty truck concept generates more than 670 horsepower and 1,325 lb-ft (1,797 N·m) of torque from two Mirai fuel cell stacks and a 12kWh battery—a relatively small battery to support Class 8 load operations. (Earlier post.) The concept’s gross combined weight capacity is 80,000 lbs., and its estimated driving range is more than 200 miles per fill, under normal drayage operation.

[GRA]

Via GCC:

Element 1 Corp to develop on-board hydrogen generator for fuel-cell buses in China

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/10/20171030-e1.html

Element 1 Corp (e1), a developer of hydrogen generation technology, has signed a purchase contract with Blue-G New Energy Science and Technology Corporation in Beijing to deliver an e1 hydrogen generator designed to provide up to 500 liters per minute of high-purity hydrogen on board a fuel cell bus.

The onboard hydrogen generator, based on e1’s patented technology, converts a mixture of methanol and water to hydrogen. Blue-G will integrate the hydrogen generator into fuel-cell buses, targeting customers in China. The successful delivery of the first hydrogen generator is expected to lead to a license agreement between e1 and Blue-G in 2018.

The new contract follows an earlier deal to develop a 100 kg per day hydrogen generator for China fuel cell bus refueling stations, and the formation of a joint venture to commercialize fuel cell systems for China’s telecom market. . . .

[GRA]

Via GCC:

UPS, NYSERDA project to convert UPS diesel delivery trucks to electric; UES 225 kW switched reluctance motor

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/11/20171109-ups-1.html

. . . UPS and Unique Electric Solutions LLC (UES LLC) will design, build, test and make the conversions. NYSERDA is providing $500,000 in funding to develop and test the conversion system. If successful, the Bronx-based project is expected to bring a production version of the converted truck to the streets of New York City by Spring 2018.

In addition to producing a new, cost-effective all-electric conversion kit, the project will deliver a blueprint for converting up to three UPS vehicles a day. This could lead to the conversion of up to 1,500 UPS delivery trucks, which is about 66% of UPS’s NYC fleet, operating in New York City by 2022. . . .

This project is part of UPS’s commitment to helping cities and states around the world reduce carbon and other tailpipe emissions as urban areas and e-commerce grow. UPS operates more than 770 electric or hybrid electric vehicles in urban settings around the world. They are part of a fleet of more than 8,500 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles worldwide.

UPS recently set a goal that by 2020 one in four vehicles purchased annually will use alternative fuels or advanced technology. The company has invested more than $750 million in alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles and fueling stations globally since 2009. . . .

Also GCC:

UPS launches delivery eBike in Pittsburgh

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/11/20171109-ups.html

UPS launched an eBike that will deliver packages in downtown Pittsburgh, Pa. The electrically-assisted tricycle will help reduce carbon emissions in addition to traffic, noise and air quality challenges in Pittsburgh. The deployment is part of UPS’s Cycle Solutions and the company’s Rolling Laboratory, which tests alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles.

The success of the eBike was first demonstrated in 2012 in Hamburg, Germany, where UPS focused on developing a new and sustainable method of delivering goods to urban areas. UPS placed four containers at central locations in the city for interim storage of packages for UPS drivers. From these points, deliveries were made on foot or with specialized electronically-assisted cargo tricycles that ease traffic congestion and reduce emissions each working day. (Earlier post.) . . .

The eBike is equipped with battery-powered electric motors that makes it possible to cover longer distances than traditional bikes, carry substantial loads and navigate hills and other terrain. Maximum energy efficiency is achieved when combining battery power and human power simultaneously. The eBike can be operated solely on battery power or pedal power.

UPS will evaluate the reliability, design, integration to the city’s infrastructure and acceptance of the vehicle. The intent is to operate the eBike in Pittsburgh as weather permits on a regular route year-round.

UPS has numerous cycle solutions deployed around the world. The company currently operates inner-city delivery projects with delivery on foot and by bike in Frankfurt, Offenbach, Hamburg, Munich, Oldenburg and Herne, Germany, as well as in Leuven and Mechelen, Belgium; Rome and Verona, Italy; Toulouse, France; and Dublin, Ireland. . . .

There's a picture.

[GRA]

Both via GCC:

Alstom to build 14 Coradia iLint fuel-cell trains for LNVG

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/11/20171109-alstom.html

. . . The trains, which will convey travellers between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehude from December 2021, will replace the diesel multiple units of the transport authority Elbe-Weser-Verkehrsbetriebe (evb) and will reduce the pollutant emission in daily service to zero.

The hydrogen for the trains will be provided by the Linde Group. The companies also signed a 30-year maintenance agreement. The Coradia iLint can cover up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) with one tank fill, and can reach a maximum speed of up to 140 km/h (87 mph).

A Coradia iLint prototype will begin pilot operation in the evb network in spring 2018 together with a second vehicle. . . .

The Linde Group will erect and operate the first hydrogen filling station for trains in Bremervörde. The necessary investment costs will be estimated at around €10 million (US$11.6 million) funded by the Federal Government. LNVG will rent the premises for the filling station from evb and will make it available to Linde AG, which will also be responsible for the operation and construction permit. The on-site production of hydrogen by electrolysis and by means of wind energy will be planned in a later phase of the project.

Nikola Motor names Bosch and PowerCell AB as key suppliers for fuel-cell Class-8 truck; field testing in Fall 2018

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/11/20171110-nikola.html

. . . PowerCell Sweden AB will be the primary supplier of fuel cell stacks for Nikola’s pre-production testing vehicles. The PowerCell S3 (100 kW) is a fuel cell stack with best-in-class power density and is primarily designed for automotive application. The full Nikola fuel cell system is anticipated to output more than 300 kW continuously. The truck’s powertrain will deliver more than 1,000 hp (746 kW) and 2,000 lb-ft (2,712 N·m) of torque. . . .

The fuel cell system will recharge the 320 kWh battery pack, which in turn will power the drive motors. The hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered day-cab is slated to have a range of 800 to 1,200 miles, with a 15-minute refill time. . . .

It has been designed to handle the entire lease period of one million miles per truck. . . .

The fully operational, pre-production Nikola Two day-cab will begin testing in Fall of 2018. Following its release, the Nikola Two will undergo a 12-month testing period in extreme climates. This testing period will give the company valuable data in preparation for full production in 2021.

The first 5,000 trucks will be built at Fitzgerald Gliders in Tennessee while Nikola builds its own manufacturing facility. The location of the Nikola manufacturing facility will be named in early 2018.

[LTLFTcomposite]

Surprised this thread isn't lit up with speculation over Tesla's semi truck announcement on Thursday. I guess everyone is busy figuring out ways to shield their skulls from the explosive force.

[GetOffYourGas]

Surprised this thread isn't lit up with speculation over Tesla's semi truck announcement on Thursday. I guess everyone is busy figuring out ways to shield their skulls from the explosive force.

The arrogance of Musk's statement is the only thing about to make my head explode...

[LTLFTcomposite]

Surprised this thread isn't lit up with speculation over Tesla's semi truck announcement on Thursday. I guess everyone is busy figuring out ways to shield their skulls from the explosive force.

The arrogance of Musk's statement is the only thing about to make my head explode...

I'm a bit surprised the investors aren't reacting negatively to the optics of rolling this out against the backdrop of M3 production issues. Kinda makes it look like they are "playing around" while there are huge fires burning. OTOH to grow into that market cap they need to demonstrate they can walk and chew gum at the same time.

[GRA]

Via GCC:

Ballard and Siemens sign $9M multi-year development agreement for fuel cell system to power Mireo light rail train; deployment in 2021

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/11/20171114-ballard.html

. . . Under the terms of the Development Agreement, Ballard will develop a 200 kW fuel cell system for integration into Siemens' new Mireo train platform. Mireo is a modular commuter train platform designed for speeds of up to 160 km/h (100 mph). With its lightweight design, energy-efficient components and intelligent onboard network management, the Mireo will consume up to 25% less energy than trains with similar passenger capacity. Initial deployments of the fuel cell-powered Mireo train are planned for 2021. . . .