Could this be the future of electric lounge haul heavy transport vehicles?
Dutch company EMOSS Mobile Systems has debuted an Electric Vehicle with Range Extender (E.V.E.R) as part of its commitment to address emissions and noise regulations in Europe, EMOSS Mobile Systems has developed an Allison transmission-equipped electric prime mover that has a range exceeding 500km.
The EMOSS Electric Vehicle with Extender Range (E.V.E.R.) prime mover utilizes a 120 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack along with a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)powered generator to recharge the battery and achieve maximum range. It is also equipped with an Allison 4500 automatic transmission and is rated for a gross combination weight of up to 50 tonnes.
“For us, the Allison gearbox is the only combination that gets us the right performance,” said Martijn Noordam, chief technology officer at EMOSS. “Customers who have driven the Allison-equipped EMOSS trucks are 100-per cent happy with them. They never thought a start-stop duty-cycle on a 30 per cent grade was realistic for an electric truck , yet the truck has executed perfectly.”
Calibrated to use six forward gears when fully-laden, the Allison transmission is critical for hauling heavier payloads and navigating challenging topographies, in countries such as Switzerland and Austria, where mountains and steep slopes are common.
“Allison remains committed to the evolution and optimisation of the drive train and all forms of commercial vehicle propulsion,” said Randy Kirk, senior vice president of product engineering at Allison. “The Allison automatic provides a proven, immediate and well-integrated solution that enables electrification across a broad range of commercial applications.”
The Allison automatic transmission is key to the driveline. The transmission provides torque multiplication to reduce demand on the electric motor and the battery pack. It also enables the electric motor to operate within the optimal efficiency range for a larger portion of the drive cycle, reducing energy consumption, extending the vehicle’s range and facilitating the use of less-expensive, lighter and smaller components.
EMOSS unveiled the Allison-equipped E.V.E.R. truck, based on a DAF chassis, in November at the eCarTec exhibition in Munich and plans to commence testing with pilot customers later this year. In addition to the E.V.E.R. truck, EMOSS is currently developing Allison transmission-equipped electric trucks for use in construction, delivery and refuse applications. These applications include dump trucks, medium-duty straight trucks, refuse collection vehicles and additional semi-truck configurations.
With over a decade of experience in electric mobility, and its full electric powertrain development and integration expertise, EMOSS is a partner for bus and truck manufacturers. Under its own brand, EMOSS is an OEM for electric trucks, buses and vans, as well as auxiliary/battery systems.
