The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Farmers running dieselelectric hybrid or fullyelectric telescopic handlers is a step closer
The prospect of farmers running dieselelectric hybrid or fully-electric telescopic handlers has moved a stepped towards reality with the creation of four prototypes by leading diesel engine maker Deutz for field testing and demonstrations.
The company is keen to get a head start in the electrification of off-highway vehicles such as telehandlers and believes its E-deutz solutions will represent 5-10% of its €2 billion (£1.75 billion) target for group revenues in 2022-23.
Deutz supplies about 22,000 engines to agricultural vehicle manufacturers each year and more than 160,000 engines in total. It plans to introduce a range of modular electric powertrain components for vehicle manufacturers next year and anticipates that the first production vehicles using them will be introduced in 2020.
Last year, the company committed €100 million (£88m) of investment to its E-deutz strategy, acquiring a 12-yearold business with electric propulsion expertise mainly in the marine sector.
Its engineers have since been working with the Deutz engineering team familiar with supplying diesel engine solutions to develop hybrid and fully electric drives for off-highway vehicles.
Having unveiled a prototype dieselelectric power pack earlier this year, Deutz has now created its own technology demonstrators by converting a pair of Liebherr telescopic handlers to the two forms of electrified power.
And in a sign of vehicle manufacturer interest, it has worked with Manitou to create a similar pair of prototypes that the French company will itself operate in tests and trials.
“An interdisciplinary team of Torqeedo and Deutz design engineers succeeded in integrating our drive concept into our two prototype machines in just six months,” points out Dr Frank Hiller, Deutz chairman.
“This shows we have mastered the technology and are in a position to supply marketable electrification solutions, demonstrating a fully working operational system is the best way to prove that we have the expertise.”
The diesel-electric hybrid approach involves using a smaller than usual diesel engine and pairing it with an electric motor that can also power the vehicle on its own, while the fully electric approach replaces diesel altogether.
Fuel savings, reduced running costs and lower at-source emissions are among the perceived benefits of this approach.
Deutz is not the first manufacturer to explore electric propulsion for offhighway vehicles – Avant, Kramer and Weidemann, who all make small wheeled loaders for various markets including agriculture, already produce fully electric battery plug-in machines that farmers can buy today.
But Deutz is working with heavier, full-size telescopic handlers with greater power demands.
Two each of the four telescopic handler prototypes converted so far share the same power solutions.
For fully electric operation, two of the Liebherr and Manitou machines had their diesel engine replaced by a 60kw motor, 30kwh battery and 360-volt power supply system.
Deutz engineers report that operating their prototype over lengthy periods at high load presented no problems and highlight the complete lack of at-source emissions and low level – virtually silent, in fact – noise output.
The hybrid prototypes have downsized diesel engines, exchanging a 3.6litre diesel developing 76kw (100hp) for a 2.2-litre Deutz of 55kw (75hp) and a 48 volt, 20kw electric motor.
In this case, the diesel engine and electric motor work together, producing a combined 76kw (100hp) to drive the vehicle and its hydraulic system, but the two power sources can be decoupled to drive the vehicle solely by the electric motor using electricity stored in a 10kwh battery. Deutz emphasises the potential fuel savings obviously depend upon the load cycle and for how long the machine is operated but says that in a “typical” handling application, fuel savings of up to 15% have been recorded.