Our first vehicle, a DAF XD FAN, has been delivered.
As this one is still conventionally diesel-powered, it will serve as a placeholder for the construction and mechanical integration of the pantograph system. We are expecting two battery-electric trucks later this year for the full integration. Afterwards, the diesel truck will be used as a reference vehicle during test drives and measurements.
The pantographs from SIEMENS Mobility have arrived. Both electric trucks will be equipped with a pantograph each in order to be able to drive on the overhead line. Now it’s time to continue with the design and construction of the frame structures for the pantographs and the associated peripherals as well as measurement equipment.
We have been able to win the Dutch truck manufacturer DAF as an associated partner for the provision of vehicle platforms and development support under subcontract. DAF is supplying two battery-electric trucks of the new generation XD, which will be extended to use the overhead line system. In addition, DAF is providing a diesel-powered reference vehicle to enable an extended technology comparison based on real vehicles and data.
To kick off the BEV Goes eHighway project, the project participants from the Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika) and the Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University met for a first joint meeting to discuss the planned project content. In particular, the seven work packages (WP) into which the project is divided were discussed.
In addition to coordinating the content, the agenda also included getting to know each other. The participants were able to come together directly within their work packages. At the end of the project kick-off, the consortium took a photo together in front of the ika simulator building.
The “BEV Goes eHighway – BEE” project was launched in January 2022. The aim of the project is to further develop overhead line technology for heavy-duty road transport in order to establish fully electric drive alternatives for this sector in the long term.
The “BEE” project focuses on the construction of a catenary truck, testing within dedicated test fields as well as in real traffic, the preparation of user studies on customer acceptance and the determination of potential user groups, technology and potential analyses and an analysis of the essential vehicle interfaces with the final development of a standard proposal.
Within the project, the integration of overhead line technology on the basis of two battery-electric series-production trucks is being investigated and evaluated. The focus is on the viewpoint of the vehicle manufacturer, for whom the duration of the conversion phase of the series vehicle is particularly relevant. However, the vehicle manufacturer cannot currently use any set of standards as a guide to simplify the installation of the pantograph system. During the conversion phase, possible interfaces for a later standardisation of the system will be identified in cooperation with
the pantograph system manufacturers. This will simplify the conversion process in the future and thus create the basis for higher market penetration. Within the project, the research vehicles enable a direct technology comparison of a pure BEV truck and a catenary BEV truck and thus offer the possibility to evaluate the CO2 avoidance potential based on real driving data. The real driving data are determined by field tests.
Another outstanding feature of this project, in addition to the direct comparison of vehicles with and without overhead contact line, is the execution of extensive test drives on the premises of several test facilities in Germany. This will allow the technology to be evaluated on a route-specific basis, thus demonstrating its potential for application on public roads. The expected high volume of recorded data provides a meaningful basis for the technology assessment. On this basis, further studies will then be conducted on, among other things, the necessary battery capacity, vehicle range and payload.
The first vehicle has arrived
Our first vehicle, a DAF XD FAN, has been delivered.
As this one is still conventionally diesel-powered, it will serve as a placeholder for the construction and mechanical integration of the pantograph system. We are expecting two battery-electric trucks later this year for the full integration. Afterwards, the diesel truck will be used as a reference vehicle during test drives and measurements.
Pantographs have arrived
The pantographs from SIEMENS Mobility have arrived. Both electric trucks will be equipped with a pantograph each in order to be able to drive on the overhead line. Now it’s time to continue with the design and construction of the frame structures for the pantographs and the associated peripherals as well as measurement equipment.
DAF on board as an associated partner
We have been able to win the Dutch truck manufacturer DAF as an associated partner for the provision of vehicle platforms and development support under subcontract. DAF is supplying two battery-electric trucks of the new generation XD, which will be extended to use the overhead line system. In addition, DAF is providing a diesel-powered reference vehicle to enable an extended technology comparison based on real vehicles and data.
Project launch BEV Goes eHighway
To kick off the BEV Goes eHighway project, the project participants from the Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika) and the Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University met for a first joint meeting to discuss the planned project content. In particular, the seven work packages (WP) into which the project is divided were discussed.
In addition to coordinating the content, the agenda also included getting to know each other. The participants were able to come together directly within their work packages. At the end of the project kick-off, the consortium took a photo together in front of the ika simulator building.
Presentation of the “BEV goes eHighway” project
The “BEV Goes eHighway – BEE” project was launched in January 2022. The aim of the project is to further develop overhead line technology for heavy-duty road transport in order to establish fully electric drive alternatives for this sector in the long term.
The “BEE” project focuses on the construction of a catenary truck, testing within dedicated test fields as well as in real traffic, the preparation of user studies on customer acceptance and the determination of potential user groups, technology and potential analyses and an analysis of the essential vehicle interfaces with the final development of a standard proposal.
Within the project, the integration of overhead line technology on the basis of two battery-electric series-production trucks is being investigated and evaluated. The focus is on the viewpoint of the vehicle manufacturer, for whom the duration of the conversion phase of the series vehicle is particularly relevant. However, the vehicle manufacturer cannot currently use any set of standards as a guide to simplify the installation of the pantograph system. During the conversion phase, possible interfaces for a later standardisation of the system will be identified in cooperation with
the pantograph system manufacturers. This will simplify the conversion process in the future and thus create the basis for higher market penetration. Within the project, the research vehicles enable a direct technology comparison of a pure BEV truck and a catenary BEV truck and thus offer the possibility to evaluate the CO2 avoidance potential based on real driving data. The real driving data are determined by field tests.
Another outstanding feature of this project, in addition to the direct comparison of vehicles with and without overhead contact line, is the execution of extensive test drives on the premises of several test facilities in Germany. This will allow the technology to be evaluated on a route-specific basis, thus demonstrating its potential for application on public roads. The expected high volume of recorded data provides a meaningful basis for the technology assessment. On this basis, further studies will then be conducted on, among other things, the necessary battery capacity, vehicle range and payload.