Stellantis Planning to Produce Fuel Cell Vehicles & Mercedes Focusing on Battery Development of Construction Vehicles

Stellantis Considers Fuel Cell Transporter Production

Market Impact Factor: High ?

Abdul Haseeb | Junior Analyst – E-mobility

Stellantis has announced that it would begin serial production of fuel cell versions of Peugeot, Citroen, and Opel light commercial vehicles at a site in France. Until now, fuel cell vans were only available in a limited number. According to the firm, manufacturing of light commercial vehicles with fuel cells of the Peugeot Expert, Citroen Jumpy, and Opel Vivaro models will be increased due to significant investments of €10 million in the Hordain factory and financial help from the French government. The French government is providing such help to meet the targets of 5,000 light-duty fuel cell vehicles (cars and commercial) by 2023 and 50,000 by 2028.

These vehicles will be built on the site’s multi-energy line, which already manufactures electric and combustion engine variants. The plant is anticipated to have a capacity of 5,000 automobiles per year by 2024. Previously, a battery-electric vehicle was constructed in Hordain and then transported to Opel Special Vehicles in Russelsheim. The BEV powertrain was removed and replaced with a fuel cell powertrain in a small series (up to 1,000 units per year). Opel staff were able to convert several hundred units each year in the 15,000-square-meter production facility. The fact that it was found that this procedure could not be cost-effectively executed for bigger quantities. Stellantis stated earlier this summer that the experience obtained in Russelsheim, Germany, would be used for future series production at other plants, which is now taking place.

The approach in Hordain is now changed, albeit additional steps are still required for the hydrogen versions. The fuel cell models’ platforms are already integrated into the plant’s body shop. These models will then go through the usual stages of paintwork and assembly, on the same production line as combustion engines and electric vehicles, before entering the new 8,000-m2 facility dedicated solely to final tuning.

From here on, the paths of the combustion engine and electric differ again compared to the FC vans as these enter a new 8,000-square-meter facility dedicated entirely to their final production. There, specially trained employees will then install the hydrogen tank, the battery and the fuel cells in the bodies prepared for this purpose, the platform for this has already been used in body construction. The new process is expected to halve the time needed to adapt the model compared with the Russelsheim small-series production.

In addition, with the launch of the fuel cell vehicles, Stellantis is providing an insight into the current demand for zero-emission vehicles, 43% of the vehicles produced in Hordain are already electric. In addition to BEV versions of Opel, Citroen, and Peugeot vans, sister models from Vauxhall, Fiat, and Toyota are manufactured there.

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Mercedes is Optimizing Truck Batteries for Use in Electric Construction Vehicles

Market Impact Factor: High ?

Humza Farhan | Analyst I – E-mobility

There has been a clear demand increase for zero-emission technologies within commercial and passenger vehicle segments following federal and private carbon neutrality initiatives that are being introduced to curb GHG emissions. Currently, the highest amount of emphasis has been placed on these two vehicle segments, owing to the transportation sector recording a significant contribution towards GHG emissions. To reduce carbon footprints, many conglomerates such as Volvo, Daimler AG, and Volkswagen have been introducing carbon neutrality targets and vehicular technologies involving battery electric and fuel cell electric technologies within propulsion systems.

However, some segments, more specifically the Off-Highway segment within vehicles have been ignored when it comes to the integration of zero-emission technologies. Companies such as Solectrac, and Volvo Construction Equipment have introduced models in the past that use battery electric technologies for propulsion, but the integration of such technologies within consumer markets has been slow, owing to several reasons, the most significant of which are battery power constraints. Commercial vehicles are plagued by range constraints that occur due to battery electric technologies, and, synonymously, the Off-Highway vehicle market is plagued by power output restrictions due to the vast amount of work that these vehicles are required to do, a factor that to date, has been very difficult to cater to through battery electric technologies. While companies have started looking and investing in other green fuels such as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) to fuel propulsion systems, battery R&D for construction vehicles is still in the nascent stages.

Recently, however, Mercedes, a Daimler subsidiary and global automotive conglomerate, has initiated vehicle-specific targets to break through the barrier that construction vehicles are currently facing. Mercedes has announced that it will now be focusing on battery development aimed at construction vehicles specifically as well. The company plans on showcasing prototypes of the eActros LongHaul and the Arocs, as well as an eActros with an electrified roll-off tipper.

The system developed for the eActros LongHaul and presented as a prototype at Bauma has a continuous output of 58 kW and a torque of 300 Nm. In series production, the electric power take-off is to generate significantly higher output. Mercedes-Benz Trucks is working on the corresponding technology for long-haul trucks together with the Munich-based tipper manufacturer Meiller. The jointly developed system combines the inverter, the e-machine, the control unit as well as the familiar tipper semi-trailer hydraulics in a design tailored to the vehicle behind the driver’s cab. Mercedes has quoted that “with the electric power take-off we achieve complete local CO2 neutrality as well as a greatly reduced noise level,”.

The second highlighted construction vehicle being released by the company is a BEV prototype of the Arocs construction site truck as a truck mixer, through a collaboration with Paul Group. The company is equipping the trucks supplied by Mercedes from the W?rth plant with an electric drivetrain. Paul is using an electrified central motor solution. The idea behind this is that the outer planetary axles of the conventional Arocs can continue to be used to provide the ground clearance and off-road capability required for construction site use in the electric vehicle models as well.

According to the companies, there will be a small series of the Battery Aroc at the end of 2023. Models can initially be ordered exclusively within Germany as 4- and 3-axle trucks for Liebherr truck mixer, flatbed, and tipper applications, they say. Paul will be the main distributor, and the group will also take care of all service and maintenance work for the trucks.

Daimler Truck’s subsidiary Fuso is also presenting a version of its eCanter electric truck optimized for the construction industry at Bauma. The all-electric truck with a capacity of up to 8.55 tonnes will in the future be offered on request with bodies suitable for construction sites. Similarly, the Bavarian construction equipment manufacturer Sennebogen unveiled the ‘653 E Electro Battery’ telescopic crawler crane at the Bauma trade fair. The 50-tonne model is said to combine “combines the benefits of battery technology with the proven advantages of the telescopic crawler crane design”, with a 130 kW electric motor installed instead of a diesel engine, promising up to 14 hours of operation time.

With market-leading automotive organizations now stepping into the electric construction vehicle segment, as well as some country-wide legislation such as UK’s Red Diesel ban now being put into place, the construction vehicle market is now gearing up to enter fully into the world of zero-emission technologies.

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Caterpillar has Finalized the Development of Large Battery-Electric 793 Dump Truck

Market Impact Factor: High

Abdul Haseeb | Junior Analyst – E-mobility

The construction and mining equipment manufacturing giant has completed the ready-to-go prototype of its large battery-electric 793 mining truck. This e-truck prototype was built at Caterpillar’s Tucson Proving Ground in Green Valley, Arizona. The development of the truck has been carried out with support from key mining customers participating in Caterpillar’s Early Learner program. The Early Learner Program was launched back in 2021 aiming to validate the battery electric trucks and accelerate their development. The participants of this program with definitive electrification agreements are BHP, Freeport-McMoRan, Greenwood Village, Rio Tinto, and Teck Resources Ltd. Following the program, Caterpillar supports the individual commitments each Early Learner participant has made to reduce and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from their operations.

The 793 Dump truck was tested in a variety of circumstances, including a 10% incline over one kilometer at 12 km/h, as well as a downward slope to demonstrate recuperation. The 793 could still reach a top speed of 60 km/h with a load up to the nominal capacity. Although Caterpillar has not revealed the exact technical data the nearest 793 F model with an 85-liter combustion engine has a rated payload of 231 tons.

However, this electric 793 is not Caterpillar’s first heavy-duty dump truck with an electric drive. Caterpillar has signed an agreement with Mining group BHP to electrify BHP’s entire truck fleet at the Escondida copper mine in Chile. The first Caterpillar 798 AC electric dump trucks are to be expected to be delivered in the second half of 2023.

The agreement is part of the strategic equipment renewal process developed by Escondida. BHP’s fleet currently consists of more than 160 dump trucks, and over the next decade, Caterpillar has planned to replace them with electric vehicles.

Also involved in the venture is Finning International, which is based in Vancouver, Canada, and sells and services Caterpillar products. The company’s integrated knowledge center in the Chilean region of Antofagasta, for example, is to provide technical support for the fleet.

Apart from Caterpillar, BHP has recently ordered eleven electric vehicles from Sandvik for its Jansen potash mine in Canada. BHP is also reportedly a founding member of the Komatsu Greenhouse Gas Alliance to develop electric mining equipment. Like Caterpillar, BHP is also aiming to achieve a company-wide target to reduce operational greenhouse gas emissions that lie under Scope 1 & 2 by at least 30% by FY2030 (relative to 2020 levels) the net zero GHG emissions by 2050 and in the long-term BHP aims to achieve longer-term, net-zero operational emissions by 2050.

Although the mining sector lags in the electrification of heavy equipment with time more companies such as BHP, Freeport-McMoRan, Greenwood Village, Rio Tinto, and Teck Resources Ltd are also focusing on electrifying their mining equipment and are investing in efficiency investing in the R&D and development of this equipment to achieve their GHG emission targets.

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