New-age trucks demand new-age crash tests
THE CHALLENGES OF THE INCREASING NUMBER OF electric trucks being developed include, of course, ensuring that their batteries and electrical systems remain safe in the event of a crash.
Thus a new way of crash-testing electric trucks is being devised – as Scania R&D test engineer Jakob Leygraf explains.
Preparations for any crash test are massive, he points out: It can take months of precision planning to get all the details just right – “and then it’s over in less than a second,” says Leygraf.
The real test only takes place after numerous simulations have been carried out: “The actual crash test is ultimately only to confirm that our calculations were accurate.”
Research engineers began modifying crash test methods a few years ago, with the advent of early diesel/electric hybrid trucks – with many simulations run, says Scania’s head of mechanical testing, Mikael Littmann.
“We simulate over and over again, with different speed and angles.
Simulation is a powerful tool that is both faster and less expensive than the full-scale equivalent. We base the actual test on the results of our simulations.”
Crash testing an electric truck, unsurprisingly, differs from that of a diesel-engined truck: The energy from the impact needs to be distributed and should spread throughout the structure surrounding the battery. The desired state is that it turns into plastic deformation and kinetic energy in less critical components.
Says Littmann: “Since we want the crash test to be as authentic as possible, we use a real car for the impact, as that puts a lot more stress on the structure than if we’d used a barrier.”
Firefighters are present for each electric truck crash test because, as Leygraf points out: “This is the ultimate test – we do this for real.”
And the result of this particular etruck test? It went as expected, says Scania: The battery emerged unscathed.
T&D