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Customer LoginsIAA 2016: Electric commercial vehicles and lower operating costs through applied tech dominate
Electric commercial vehicles will become a reality in urban centres over the next few years as heavy vehicle OEMs look to hone their technology offerings to offer practical operating cost reductions to their customers.
IHS Markit perspective
- Significance: The IAA Commercial Vehicles show got under way in Hanover yesterday as Europe's top truck-makers flexed their muscles in terms of new technology and new product offerings.
- Implications: Among the highlights were a number of electric commercial vehicles in the heavy medium and light vehicle categories and the show debut of Scania's brand new range of R and S heavy trucks which have been a decade in development.
- Outlook: While heavy electric trucks may be some way from production reality, Daimler will bring the Fuso eCanter medium city delivery truck to market at the end of 2017 after a successful trial period and VW also debuted the e-Crafter concept LCV which could become a production reality in the next few years and help bring a step change towards electrically powered delivery vehicles in urban environments.
The 66th IAA Commercial vehicle show got under way in Hanover yesterday (21 September) with a particular focus on real-world technology benefits for operators right now in the form of connectivity and telematics that lower operating costs and vehicle downtime, while there was also a longer-term vision towards eventual electric commercial vehicles and buses.
Daimler
There is little doubt that in the run up to the show Daimler won the pre-publicity battle with its Urban eTruck, the first ever electric heavy truck. Until recently, such a concept would have been unthinkable but improvements in cell technology and energy storage and regulatory changes means that for the first time such a vehicle has the potential to be viable. The futuristically styled truck is based on Mercedes-Benz Truck's existing three-axle truck platform and has a gross vehicle weight of 26 tonnes. The additional weight of the electric vehicle (EV) variant is only 1700 kg and as the European Commission is in favour of increasing the permissible gross vehicle weight (GVW) of trucks with alternative drives by a maximum of 1.0 tonnes the weight penalty of the batteries will be mostly cancelled out if this regulation is passed. It has an electrically powered rear axle and electric motors directly adjacent to the wheel hubs. Their maximum output is 2 x 125 kW, while torque is 2 x 500 Nm, with this axle already having been proven in Daimler's EV buses. The battery capacity of the Urban eTruck has a modular design which has a maximum total capacity of 212 kWh.
Daimler also showed the production version of its Fuso eCanter light delivery truck. Since 2014 an earlier prototype variant, known as the Canter E-Cell, has completed 60,000 km in test conditions in various customer fleets with no reliability issues whatsoever, according to Daimler's claims. The eCanter will be launched as a production model at the end of 2017 and will have a 'premium' in terms of price over the equivalent diesel model. The production model will have a modular battery system. This means that maximum range is 100km, but with Fuso stating that most of its vehicles do a daily duty cycle of just 50km, batteries packs can be removed to increase payload. Fuso says the cost benefits over a conventional diesel are EUR1,000 per 10,000 km and believes that costs can be fully amortised over three years.
DAF
DAF's press conference was one of the more confident on the opening day of the IAA with the Netherlands-based OEM basking in the strong sales performance of its XF range in Europe, where DAF is now the market leader in the heavy tractor segment, according to its own claims. The company's new president, former Kenworth General Manager Preston Feight, outlined the firm's success with the XF in terms of customer reception and awards, with the truck winning fleet truck of the year in the UK. The UK is also a very strong market for the company with a heavy truck market share of 29.9% in the first half of 2016, which was up by 6%. The company is also investing heavily in all parts of the business including starting production of the XF in Brazil (despite the current slump in the market), a new paint shop at the Westerlo facility and a new engine test centre in Eindhoven.
Scania
Scania had the biggest new product launch at the show in form of the new generation flagship S and R heavy truck models, with CEO Henrik Henriksson, who only took Scania's reins at the end of last year, leading the presentation. The new models have been 10 years in development and have cost USD1.8 million, with a focus on improving operational profitability, performance and driveability. Scania claims it has the most aerodynamic heavy truck tractor unit with its new range with a 5% improvement in fuel efficiency resulting over its predecessor model. There are also powertrain improvement with 54 variants in total on offer with13 litre 500 horse power SCR being an all-new variant new. Gear shifts are also now 45% faster according to Scania.
Iveco
Iveco has some impressive new developments on show at the IAA. It showcased the revised Stralis which has seen a raft of improvements, including a driveline redesign, new electrical and electronic architecture, new rear axle and suspension, and enhanced GPS predictive functions. The company also debuted the Z Truck concept which is the company's prototype future truck. It features typically futuristic styling for this vehicle type with an emphasis on optimised aerodynamic efficiency. The truck features 29 patents that will gradually filter through to production models while the autonomous driving component is geared towards minimizing accidents as well as increasing efficiency.
Volvo
One thing that all heavy truck OEMs are keen to highlight is the efficiency of their products. Fuel costs are a significant portion of total cost of ownership (TCO) and Volvo Trucks has a strong performance in this area. The brand's FH fitted with the 13 litre 460bhp combined with the I shift transmission won a prestigious German award for test conducted over 2 year real world test overall running costs. Volvo also had its own future concept truck at the show with a target of 30% cut in consumption and CO2 through Powertrain and enhanced aerodynamics.
Volvo also has a full range of alternative powertrain buses to offer; hybrid, electric hybrid and full EV. The claims the bus industry will make full use of all these options depending on local requirements in the move away from diesel buses in urban environments.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
VW debuted the new Crafter LCV at the IAA but perhaps more importantly the EV concept of the same model, the e-Crafter. The vehicle is a concept at this time but a production variant is being worked on. The concept has a 43kWh hour batter which allows it a range of 208km. It can be recharged in 45 minutes, while the concept is speed limited to 50 mph. This is ideal for the inner-city delivery work any production model would be earmarked for.
Outlook and implications
One of the definite trends of the 2016 IAA is the move towards greater and greater connectivity. While "V2V", or vehicle to vehicle connectivity, will be employed in the gradual roll-out of platooning and the eventual move towards fully autonomous on-highway driving in the longer term, in the shorter term connectivity systems that can help operators manage their fleets and drive real world cost improvements are one of the most important trends of the moment in the CV space. Scania appears to be one of the leaders in this field at the moment. Previous telematic and connectivity systems have concentrated on the driver and the vehicle itself. Scania is spearheading the move to a more holistic system to improve overall business efficiency. For example it has collated data from its customers that states that on average its customers only use 60% of load capacity. This kind of payload data has obvious value, while Scania is also offering individualised maintenance to do with usage through its use of data connectivity. With Scania claiming that the average European haulier operates at a margin of 2%, any tool that can increase vehicle days on the road is welcome. Another definite trend is the growing interest in the move to electric drivetrains through all segments of the commercial vehicle business, with the compelling concept of production-ready EVs on show in the light, medium and heavy segments. Mercedes-Benz's eTruck may be something of a technology concept, at the same time the company is also talking of possible production by 2020. The eCanter and the e-Crafter show the near-term possibilities in inner city environments for medium and light duty electric delivery vehicles.
About this article
The above article is from IHS Automotive Same-Day Analysis of automotive news, events and trends, and is a deliverable of the World Markets Automotive Service. The service averages thirty stories per day and also provides competitor and country intelligence. Get a free trial.