Extended uses
In the short rather than the medium run, traction batteries are going to be used in areas other than passenger cars as well. The more powerful they are, the more electricity they can provide despite low weight, the more attractive they’ll become for use in trucks, boats and even in aircraft.
In transportation, a wider rollout of electrification is just around the corner. The portfolio of the Swiss company Designwerk based in Winterthur – a member of the Volvo Group – includes traction batteries installed behind the driver’s cabin on the tractors of semi-trailer trucks or under the floor of trucks, now enabling daily mileage of up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). “The subject of range no longer is as central as it used to be a few years ago,” says Product Manager, Battery Systems Thomas Prohaska, with reference to a significant improvement of the battery parameters: “From 2016 to 2023, the energy density of our batteries increased by 85 percent.” Now, questions of weight are of central importance regarding the electrification of road transportation. The full equipment of a Designwerk truck with four batteries of 257 kWh each means 5.6 metric tons (6.1 short tons) of additional weight, which Prohaska puts in perspective, though: “Due to the elimination of diesel engines and fuel tanks, curb weight decreases,” plus, he adds that in Switzerland and in the EU two metric tons (2.2 short tons) more of gross vehicle weight are allowed for electric vehicles. The greater length of the semi-trailer trucks necessitated by the battery packs is planned to be legalized as well.
But how practical are electric trucks with lithium-ion batteries? Prohaska views the limiting factor not in battery capacity but in the issue of charging options. Competitor MAN is planning to launch a fully electric truck in 2024 that’s supposed to achieve range levels of 500 kilometers (310 miles). With adequate charging network coverage, says MAN, the prescribed rest periods of the driver could be used for recharging. 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) per day could soon be achieved by battery-electric power in that way.