Magnetics Business & Technology - January/February 2021 - 6

FEATURE ARTICLE

eTrucks and eBuses with Permanent Magnet Powertrains Charge into Commercial Vehicle
Market
Daimler & Mercedes-Benz e-trucks and e-buses
At Daimler, a range of e-trucks
and e-buses have been running test trials for several years
and now are shifting into series
production. Since mid-2018,
Daimler Trucks & Buses' total
know-how in the field of electric
mobility has been concentrated
Daimler's Freightliner eCascadia
under one roof in its E-Mobility
and eM2
Group. Here, regardless of
brand or segment, the e-strategy
for components and products is defined and implemented, and
an integrated electrical architecture is developed.
Series production is planned for 2021 for the heavy-duty Freightliner eCascadia and the medium-duty eM2 which are aimed at
serving fixed, predictable routes over daily runs that are mostly
of between 70 and 250 kilometers. Penske Truck Leasing began
running a test fleet of 20 eCascadia's in the U.S. in 2019.
There's nothing like an electric automobile for requiring a lot of
magnets, except for maybe a wind turbine -- or a truck and a bus.
Move over Prius and Tesla, a parade of e-trucks and e-buses
sporting powerful new permanent-magnet powertrains are barreling up the road behind you.
Capping years of research and development, they are coming
from the manufacturing plants of leading automotive companies
re-tooling for electrification technology, also from a flurry of commercial vehicle start-ups that, like Tesla in the automobile market, are leaping into the fray as e-vehicle specialists. Indeed, one
of the start-ups is Tesla, however, its progress in trucks appears
slow compared to others that are surging into production of new
heavy-duty and medium-duty road warriors. In many cases, new
modes of flexible manufacturing are being developed also.
Shown above are new e-models of long-established brands Peterbilt and Kenworth made by truck manufacturer Paccar as they
ascend Pikes Peak in Colorado. Achieved in November 2020,
the climb was a milestone as the two trucks became the first
Class 8 zero emission vehicles to drive to the 14,115-foot summit
which is renowned as an endurance run for race cars.
They had to negotiate 156 twisting turns and switchbacks during
the 4,700-foot elevation gain to the peak and power up 7-10 percent grades over the famous 12.42-mile course. Making the run
were a Peterbilt 579EV, shown on the left, and a Kenworth T680
fuel cell model. There are currently 22 Peterbilt Model 579EVs
on the road with over 50,000 miles of real-world customer operations. The fuel cell models are being developed in conjunction
with Toyota.
" We are very excited about the work Kenworth and Peterbilt have
done in the development of zero emissions technology. Conquering Pikes Peak demonstrates PACCAR's leadership in fuel cell
and commercial vehicle electrification, " said Kyle Quinn, chief
technology officer.

Magnetics Business & Technology * January/February 2021

At its Woerth plant near Stuttgart, Mercedes Benz is gearing
up to begin series production of
its eActros battery-electric truck
in 2021. Designed for heavyduty distribution haulage, it will
be manufactured alongside
trucks with combustion engines.
An eEconic model, designed
Mercedes-Benz eActros will be
specifically for municipal use
produced in Stuttgart
such as waste haulage, is
intended to follow it into series
production in 2022. In 2018, the eActros prototype premiered
and intensive customer trials started the same year. The seriesproduction eActros planned for 2021 will have a range of well
over 200 kilometers.
" I'm delighted that we will be building the first generation of the
Mercedes-Benz eActros here at Woerth, " said Matthias Jurytko,
head of the plant. The start of series production next year is an
important milestone for the plant and the region. " At the site,
preparations were in full swing during 2020 to get ready for the
demands associated with production of electric drive systems.
" For example, we are currently training our future specialists in
the field of high-voltage systems - a fundamental area of expertise as far as the assembly of automotive batteries and the
construction of electric trucks is concerned, " said Jurytko.
The electric truck models are set to be assembled alongside
trucks with conventional drives in a flexible process. The construction of the different vehicle types will be integrated as far as
possible, with the basic vehicle structure being built on one line
regardless of whether it will be getting a conventional combustion engine or an electric powertrain. The installation of various
non-conventional drive components will take place in a separate
process, as will the assembly of the electric powertrain for the
eActros.

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Magnetics Business & Technology - January/February 2021

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