Electric Axle for Trucks Saves Up to 15% in Fuel

[kscarbel2]

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT)  /  October 18, 2017

An electric-powered axle for highway truck-tractors has been announced by Hyliion Inc., a startup technology company that has been developing a similar product for semitrailers. The truck version is now being tested by three major fleets, the company said.

Hyliion’s 6X4HE system generates electric power on downgrades or while coasting, and supplies supplemental power during launch and on upgrades, explained Thomas Healy, founder and CEO. He said the system delivers substantial fuel savings, lowers exhaust emissions, and eases work for the driver. 

A Hyliion axle replaces a 6x2 truck’s non-driven dead axle or is added to a 4x2 truck, turning either into a 6x4. Existing 6x4 tractors can be converted by removing one mechanically driven axle and replacing it with a Hyliion axle.

The system includes a motorized axle, lithium-ion battery pack, and electronic controls. The battery pack also runs an auxiliary power unit during rest periods. It can be installed on a new or existing truck in about three hours.

Mesilla Valley Transportation, PAM Transport, and Ryder System all participated in testing and refining the 6X4HE, and each has one tractor running with it, Healy said.

Hyliion (pronounced HIGH-lee-on) first announced a powered trailer axle last year, but switched its focus to a truck system at the request of fleet executives. The axle’s hybrid action alone will save 15% in fuel, the company claimed.

“Fleets said they’d see a faster payback if it could be put on a truck because it would be used more often than on a trailer,” Healy told HDT. “We listened and focused our efforts to first deliver the 6X4HE System with an innovative APU” that uses the battery pack.  

The APU includes an air conditioning compressor and blower to deliver 18,000 Btu’s for up to 10 hours to cool a sleeper in warm weather. This saves an additional 12% in fuel. Fleets are using a diesel fuel-fired heater to warm the sleeper, Healy said. In addition, two outlets provide electricity in the cab and sleeper.  The system can also be plugged in to shore power. 

The 6X4HE easily attaches to the truck frame and is self-contained, he said. PAM used a new Peterbilt 4x2 tractor, while MVT and Ryder converted in-service International and Freightliner 6x2 tractors, respectively. Systems operate autonomously with no driver involvement.

“Electrification is the talk of the industry,” said Scott Perry, chief technology and procurement officer for Ryder Fleet Management Solutions, in the Hyliion announcement. “Hyliion provides a creative solution for long-hau,l over-the-road trucking that we feel will be of interest to current diesel fleets that are looking for an advanced technology that they can pursue in the very near future.”

“We are excited to be a part of the testing process with Hyliion on a product that has the potential to be industry-changing,” said Paul Pettit, vice president, maintenance, at PAM Transport. “The Hyliion team is great to work with.”  

“Innovation in fuel savings is nothing new to MesillaValley, but Hyliion’s system is the only thing we’ve seen that can make such a big impact,” said Royal Jones, MVT’s CEO.

Hyliion is currently taking orders for the 6X4HE with production starting next month. Pittsburgh-based Hyliion, founded in 2015, recently announced investment of $21 million from venture capitalists, and this will help fund the production, Healy said. More information is at http://www.hyliion.com.

Related reading:

https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/44516-hybrid-electric-drive-trailer-tandem-being-developed/?tab=comments#comment-328731

https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/47614-rethinking-trailers/?tab=comments#comment-351344

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[kscarbel2]

Hyliion is turning diesel engines into hybrids

Today’s Trucking  /  October 19, 2017

PITTSBURGH, PA – Hyliion is adding a spark to Class 8 engines. The vehicle hybridizing company launched its second product this week, promising to save fleets up to a combined 30% in fuel costs by electrifying traditional Class 8 tractors.

The company’s new 6X4HE system can be installed on new trucks or retrofitted on older models to create an electric subsidized Class 8 truck. Hyliion says the system is easily attached to the truck frame, and is self-contained.

Like a hybrid vehicle, the system helps to power the truck when going uphill, keeping the engine in an optimal range, and regenerative braking captures power when slowing down. Electric power is applied when necessary to keep diesel engines at their most efficient, delivering hybrid fuel savings.

An Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) uses a cooling system and battery to deliver 18,000 BTUs for 10 hours on a single charge, allowing trucks to have power without idling at rest stops. Two outlets also provide electricity in the cab. It comes with an on-board telematics system and aerodynamic components as well.

Hyliion says the product provides a 15% fuel savings through the hybrid component, 12% through the APU, and another 3% through use of the aerodynamic technology, for a combined total of up to 30% fuel savings.

Mesilla Valley Transportation, PAM Transport and Ryder all participated in testing for the device.

"Electrification is the talk of the industry," said Scott Perry, chief technology and procurement officer for Ryder. "Hyliion provides a creative solution for long-haul over the road trucking that we feel will be of interest to current diesel fleets who are looking for an advanced technology that they can pursue in the very near future.”

The launch of the 6X4HE comes after the 2016 announcement of the company’s first offering – a similar product for trailers.

"After our trailer product announcement last year, fleets came to us and asked to have the technology put on trucks,” said CEO Thomas Healy. "The technology we designed into the trailer product plus a different approach to an APU is now available for Class 8 trucks."

Hyliion will begin production on the unit in November.

[kscarbel2]

Hyliion Acquires Gentherm’s Battery Division

Transport Topics  /  July 30, 2018

Heavy-duty vehicle supplier Hyliion has acquired the battery division of Gentherm Inc., a move intended to consolidate control of its battery technology supply chain that underpins its 6X4HE hybrid-electric axle.

Hyliion was the division’s primary customer prior to the acquisition. Terms were not immediately disclosed.

Having proprietary technology is crucial to succeeding in the heavy-duty truck electrified space, Thomas Healy, CEO and founder of the Austin, Texas-based company, told Transport Topics.

“It is a battery packaging and software play for us,” he said of the acquisition. “The amount of energy we are trying to store in these batteries and then discharge when you go to accelerate is unbelievable. We can capture over five kilowatt hours of power on some downhills, which is about 20% of the power used in a home per day.”

In the Hyliion system — available primarily as an aftermarket item for Classes 7-8 trucks — regenerative braking captures power when the truck is slowing down, then electric power is applied when necessary to keep a diesel engine at its most efficient revolutions per minute.

Healy said the hybrid-electric approach for commercial vehicles was not new but now it is “being revitalized.”

At the same time, with a hybrid-electric truck it is difficult to figure out how the diesel is performing, Healy said — is it in its efficiency band, is it outside — and then have the system software respond accordingly to supply or capture energy.

“We have been able to see over 40,000 charge-discharge cycles out of our system. That is about a 7- to 10-year life out of the product, which is much higher than what we are going to see out of fully electric trucks,” he said.

Hyliion has partnered with Toshiba Corp. for its battery cell technology and with Dana Inc. for cooling technology to improve the thermal management of the batteries.

“I can guarantee you there is no one else out there who can charge and discharge batteries at the rate we are and have a stable solution. It is pretty remarkable, actually, what the team has been able to accomplish,” Healy said.

Meanwhile, there was a strong response to the company’s recent offer to allow fleets to use a Hyliion truck equipped with the 6X4HE, an electric auxiliary power unit and aerodynamic package from FlowBelow Aero Inc. — 70 fleets signed up, he said.

“Honestly, that was too many for us to be able to handle. So we shortlisted a group of fleets we have been working with, and we are just at the point of shipping out revenue units now,” Healy said July 27.

The hybrid axle can boost fuel efficiency by 15%, the electric APU by 12% and the aerodynamic components by 3%, according to Hyliion.

The cost of the system is $25,000, and the payback period is two years for over-the-road trucks, Healy said.

On a hybrid-electric longhaul truck, the batteries can weigh 400 to 500 pounds, according to the North American Council for Freight Efficiency.

Formula One race cars use regenerative braking as do numerous models of electric and hybrid passenger cars, NACFE reported in its confidence report on hybrid technology.

Hyliion in 2015 started with a focus on trailers. Although it has shifted its attention to the tractor, Hyliion sees the trailer application as eventually more suited for international use and some segments in the United States, Healy said.

Also, the company has test units with more industrial designs in the hands of operators of tugboats and commercial off-road applications, and high-voltage systems operators, he said.

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[kscarbel2]

Hyliion axle breathes new life into hybrids

Jim Park, Today’s Trucking  /  October 9, 2018

TORONTO, Ontario — Hybrid is no longer a four-letter word. It may still leave a sour taste in the mouths of those who invested heavily in the hybrid concept a decade or so ago, but Hyliion’s 6-by-4 Hybrid Electric (6x4HE) propulsion system will put money in fleets’ pockets without the help of tenuous government subsidies. Come to think of it, Hyliion might even sweeten the industry’s feelings on 6×2 axles.

The system, developed by Hyliion, formerly based in Pittsburg, Pa., but now in splendid new digs in Austin, Texas, is “simply” an electric drive axle added to a typical 6×2 tractor. It’s not designed to assuage the traction concerns sometimes associated with 6x2s, but rather to supplement the existing diesel powertrain by kicking in a little extra thrust to ease the burden on the diesel. The beauty of the system is that the energy used to help drive the truck is essentially free, generated by the momentum of the truck while rolling downhill or while braking.

(It does assist with traction in its own way. The system usually engages when the truck launches, thus providing additional driving force from the rear axle.)

The Hyliion system is made up of:

• an in-cab display that shows the driver the charge and assist state of the motor/generator as well as the state of charge and current fuel consumption;
• the HUB, or Hyliion Universal Box, control unit;
• an optional cooling unit/APU;
• the battery box; and
• the hybrid electric rear drive axle, which adds up to 120 hp and 1,500 lb-ft of torque.

It’s all neatly packaged to hang off the frame rails just ahead of the drive wheels and between the frame rails directly behind the cab. All together, it adds 800 pounds to the vehicle by the time you consider the axle swap-out. This system also qualifies for the 400-pound auxiliary power unit weight exemption, which lowers the impact of the weight to 400 pound where the APU weight allowance is provided.

According to Thomas Healy, founder and CEO of Hyliion, the hybrid propulsion system can deliver up to 15% in fuel savings in the optimum operating environment, which is rolling hilly terrain.

“The battery size, power density and chemistry, along with our electronic controller and battery management system, are optimized for short-duration, high-energy discharge and equally rapid charging over short distances,” Healy explained. “Obviously we do not want to add a lot of weight with a larger battery, so it’s designed for optimum performance on the rolling hills you find on Interstate highways in states like Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, etc.”

The ROI varies based on the amount of time spent in the optimum terrain, the total number of miles per year, and the amount of time the APU is used. In most cases, with 120,000 miles and regular use of the APU, the ROI will be between 18 and 24 months when installed on a new truck, he said. And that’s without any government subsidies. “At this time our system is not included in the available green technology subsidies,” Healy explained. “That being said, we are actively working with a variety of groups and key partners to establish funding support for our system.”

One of the recently added features is a GPS-based predictive cruise control system that reads the road ahead and plans for whatever charging or power assist cycle the terrain might present. There were a few moments on our test drive when I thought the system should have helped out a little, but Jennifer Moreci, the product manager at Hyliion who was riding with me, pointed out a larger hill in the distance, and said the system was conserving its charge for that push rather than use it on the smaller hill we were climbing at the time. It’s smart that way.

The battery also can be used to power an electric HVAC system with a capacity of at least 10 hours of air conditioning and normal hotel loads. Healy said the APU feature saves an additional 12% in fuel consumption compared to idling for climate control.

Driving the 6x4HE

All the electronic wizardry that makes this system so effective is completely invisible to the driver. There’s no need to change settings or switch the system on or off, so it doesn’t distract from the driving task. The one exception is switching on the APU function.

The driver display, which Hyliion calls OPE for On-dash Portal Experience, has a selector for the desired APU run time of one, four, or 10 hours. If 10 hours is selected, the system will preference energy storage rather than driving assist in order to build the charge for the pending 10-hour run time. Moreci said the system charges remarkably fast and will completely recharge for another 10-hour run on less than an hour of driving time, which she said can be accomplished under the Personal Conveyance exemption in hours of service if the driver is on a 34-hour reset.

The best way to describe the feel of the system when it’s in assist mode is the truck simply feels lighter. You don’t feel the typical load on the engine because the electric drive axle is helping with the thrust effort. This is more noticeable at low speeds, such as while maneuvering around town. The system switches to charge mode while braking, using the momentum of the truck to turn the generator/motor. The increased load on the system from charging feels something close to the first position on an engine brake.

On the highway, it’s not noticeable at all, except for the Charge/Assist alert and the fuel mileage display on the OPE. Anytime the engine brake is engaged, the system will charge, and while coasting I could initiate some charging by just resting my foot on the brake pedal.

We tested the system on an elevated expressway in Austin, which is otherwise pretty flat. The trailer was loaded to 45,000 pounds and the GVW was 77,000. At times with the assist it felt more like 47,000 pounds. According to OPE, at times when the assist function was active we were getting anywhere from 11 and 12 mpg up to 15 mpg.

The system is not designed to provide a quicker launch or faster uphill climbs. It just adds thrust to the rear axle, the electric axle, to take some of the load off the engine, and thus cut fuel consumption.

Hyliion’s hybrid electric propulsion system is the only one of its kind on the market right now. Despite all the activity on the battery-electric vehicle front, Healy believes a BEV for the long-haul segment is still at least a decade away.

“Until we overcome the obstacles associated with battery capacity and charging infrastructure for long-haul trucks, hybrids can be the path forward, where we can get the fuel savings benefits associated with electric vehicles without having to change the total energy infrastructure,” he said. “Hybridization can be an immediate solution.”

With a few hours driving experience under my belt, I have seen this technology work and I think it is an immediate solution.

[david wild]

I don't understand why trucks can't run like trains, genset to power electric drive motor on axle, engine keeps constant rpm thus better fuel mileage, smaller engine package for genset and you swap out drive motor setup like they do trains ???? maybe I'm dumb and don't see the down side.