Freightliner and Enova to develop all-electric truck chassis
It seems as though the entry of newcomers Modec and Smith Electric Vehicles (and maybe even Boulder Electric Vehicles) into the North American electric truck market has prompted Freightliner to set about putting their own all-electric chassis together. To help speed things along, they have enlisted the aid of Enova Systems, a company with hybrid and electric vehicle experience. Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation and the California cleantech firm have signed a Letter of Intent that will see the Enova 120kW and 90kW drivetrains married to certain Freightliner chassis platforms, including, mostly importantly, the walk-in MT-45 which one might find beneath the panels of UPS and Fed Ex delivery vans.
The agreement will cover the design, engineering, fleet integration, and testing of four vehicles. Freightliner, which is a Daimler subsidiary, hopes the program will help them get into the electric truck game "in the near term" with the company producing their own vehicles profitably in-plant. Both firms are said to have fleet customers hoping to add all-electrics as early as 2010. Hey, that's real soon! Click here to check out an Enova video touting their wares. You can find the official press release after the break.
[Source: Enova Systems]
PRESS RELEASE:
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. and Enova Systems Announce Their Intentions to Collaborate on All-Electric Commercial Chassis
A Freightliner Commercial Vehicle Production Program for National Fleets is Targeted
TORRANCE, Calif. & GAFFNEY, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) and Enova Systems (Enova) (NYSE Amex: ENA) (AIM: ENV) (AIM: ENVS) announced today that they have jointly executed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to enter into an all-electric commercial chassis development program.
The development program includes close collaboration and will involve the engineering and integration of Enova's 120kW and 90kW all-electric drive system technologies into target FCCC chassis platforms, including the MT-45 walk-in van chassis. Freightliner's highest volume MT-45 chassis offers a gross vehicle weight rating between 14,140 and 19,000 lbs. and maximum payloads of 10,000 lbs. The MT-45 chassis is used by a range of customers including UPS and Federal Express.
The strategic agreement consists of four phases that include the development of at least four vehicles and placement into national fleets. Design, engineering, integration, and testing activities will be conducted at the Freightliner Custom Chassis plant in Gaffney, SC and the Enova facility in Torrance, CA.
Robert Harbin, President of the Freightliner Custom Chassis division of DTNA, stated that "The technical, economic, and environmental factors driving increased demand for pure electric commercial vehicles are rapidly converging. Our partnership with Enova Systems on this important development program is a clear indication that the market for these vehicles is approaching. We look to Enova to help us achieve our goal of having a profitable, in-plant, EV production program in the near term."
Mike Staran, President and CEO of Enova Systems, stated that "Collaboration with FCCC, an OEM with market leading positions with several ideal commercial vehicle platforms, provides us an immediate opportunity to penetrate markets not previously available. Our combined technologies and vehicle expertise will enable us to offer a wide range of flexible EV solutions that will ultimately allow us to gain market share in key segments."
The companies have already begun showcasing their capabilities to potential customers and expect positive results from these initial demonstrations. Many national fleet operators currently served by the two companies have clearly stated their desire to deploy all-electric commercial vehicles in the 2010 timeframe.
Enova Systems is a leading worldwide developer and producer of all-electric and hybrid drive train technologies for commercial vans, trucks and buses. Enova's non invasive systems enable customers to integrate their drive system technology in either new vehicle or retrofit applications.
About Freightliner Custom Chassis
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation manufactures premium chassis for the motorhome, delivery walk-in van, and commercial and school bus markets. FCCC is a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA), a Daimler company.
About Enova Systems
Enova Systems Inc., an international company headquartered in Torrance, Calif., is the leading developer of electric and hybrid drive systems for buses and medium-duty vehicles. Enova produces four drive configurations (Pure Electric, Series Hybrid with Diesel Generator, Pre and Posts Transmission Parallel Hybrids) for customers including Smith Electric Vehicles and the China FAW Group Corporation. Enova's drive systems have powered thousands of electric and hybrid vehicles since 1980.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mark Kiernan 4:57PM (9/11/2009)
Very nice, very good. Would like to know how much it costs.
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Nick From Montreal 5:35PM (9/11/2009)
Ah, the sweet sound of competition. US Automaker won't do anything unless they are pressured from abroad. Removing gasoline from trucks is going to have a deep impact on the environment.
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PopSmith 6:35PM (9/11/2009)
Hopefully these can be cost effective enough that FedEx and UPS can convert their entire respective fleets to pure electric.
150 miles is (probably) more than plenty for those drivers and regenerative braking would help extend their range further, considering they don't seem to drive on the freeway or at speeds higher than 50.
I don't know how much gasoline/diesel they use currently but I'm sure its a decent amount and by using cheap and clean electricity the cost benefits alone could probably save UPS and FedEx enough money in a decent time frame to be extremely cost effective.
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jtak 10:45PM (9/11/2009)
"by using cheap and clean electricity...." That's the challenge. About 50% of electricity in the U.S. is coal-fired. It's not clean. Clean electricity from wind and solar is available, but costs more - it's not cheap.
PopSmith 3:14AM (9/12/2009)
While coal may not be clean, it is FAR cleaner to power a car via coal-produced electricity than it is to burn gasoline. According to the EPA a gallon of gasoline produces 19.4 pounds of CO2 when burned. Diesel produces 22.2 pounds per gallon.
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/420f05001.htm
One kWh produced purely from coal produces just 2.095 pounds of CO2.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/co2_report/co2report.html#electric
A Tesla Roadster, which is a sports car, requires about 160Wh (or 0.160kWh) to travel one mile. Let's use a car that gets 50 MPG (Which is what car? The new Prius and nothing else that I know of) to compare the CO2 output.
If it takes 160Wh to travel one mile then that gallon of gas gives the 50 MPG car the equivalent of 8000 Wh. Electrical rates are in kWh. My electrical bill was $0.11 for a kilowatt hour last month. This means it would cost me less than 1 cent to drive the Tesla Roadster one mile.
When it comes to CO2 output there is NO question about which is cleaner. If you assume that 100% of electricity is coal-generated, the powerplant would produce just 0.0472 of a pound of CO2 to propel the Tesla for one mile. This means the powerplant emits just 2.36 pounds of CO2 to drive the Tesla for 50 miles, assuming you didn't use any regenerative braking.
19.4 pounds of CO2 from a gallon of gasoline > 2.36 pounds of CO2 for a gallon-equivalent of coal-produced electricity. The electricity CO2 numbers will continue to get lower and lower as more and more of our electricity is made via non-polluting, renewable energy sources such as solar, hydro and wind.
scptt 3:01PM (9/13/2009)
Not to mention that Battery EV miles divert the electricity otherwise used to distill and refine the fossil fuels to begin with. This detail gets little attention but is paramount when figuring out EROI, CO2/mile and grid load variables.
http://www.evnut.com/gasoline_oil.htm
http://www.evworld.com/article.cfm?storyid=1715
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-2795.html
John 11:43PM (9/11/2009)
I'm a UPS driver... I drive about 40+ miles and use about 4 gallons of gas a day.
Would love to drive a pure electric delivery truck!
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brent.desroches 8:24AM (9/12/2009)
I would imagine a UPS truck might use around 500 WH/mi or 2 mi/KWh. This means to travel 10 miles, the truck would need 5 KWh. Assuming also that the UPS truck gets 10 miles per gallon, this means the truck produces ~10.5 lbs CO2 for 10 miles (assuming 100% coal generation) while the diesel produces 22 lbs CO2 for 10 miles. Even assuming transmission losses (15%), the truck still comes out well ahead at 500 WH/mi.
For the truck to reduce pollution over diesel using 100% coal, the truck needs to use a little under 950 WH/mi including 15% plant to truck transmission loss.
Since our electric system uses only around 50% coal on average, and the emissions are more like 1.7 lbs/KWh, the truck will really kick diesel's ass.
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Nick 12:59PM (9/12/2009)
They could use the large roof area to install solar-panels........once they come down in price.
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