While powertrain electrification is
making clear headway in the automotive world, its take-up with light commercial
vehicle manufacturers remains sluggish – despite the obvious benefits that the
technology promises
As well as a differing approach to design
and manufacture, van companies are also offering a range of purchase and lease
options for their electric models. Renault, for example, will sell the van, but
only leases the batteries – in effect removing the battery risk from the
customer. Were Volkswagen to offer the e-Caddy and e-Load Up commercially, it
would insist on selling both the vehicle and the batteries to the customer.
At
Hannover Messe 2011, the "world's foremost technology event," German automaker
Volkswagen unveiled a battery-powered compact van called the Elektro Caddy
Maxi.
Adding to the complexity, Mercedes-Benz has
taken a third approach: as the manufacturer of both the vehicle and the
batteries, it will be leasing the entire package to customers complete with the
battery, taking both vehicle and pack back in house at the end of a
four-year/80,000km (49,700-mile) first life in order to assess performance and
remaining component life.
At a canter
If things have been a little slow for powertrain
electrification in the van market, for full commercial vehicles, hybrid
technology is even further behind the curve. And the one company that has been
pushing a full diesel hybrid offering is Fuso, part of Daimler’s truck
business.
The
new 2nd generation Canter Eco-Hybrid is based on the same parallel hybrid
system used in the 1st generation Canter Eco-Hybrid which incorporates a diesel
engine and an electric motor. Depending on the driving needs, the system can
actively switch between either power source, or use them both together, to
ensure optimal performance.
Fuso’s 7.5 metric ton Canter Eco Hybrid has
been available for some time, but has recently been upgraded with a 3-liter
Euro 6 diesel engine delivering 110kW and 370Nm of torque. In addition, the
truck is equipped with a 40kW electric motor that offers a further 200Nm of
torque.
Power for the electric motor comes from a
2kWh lithium-ion battery and both the electric motor and the diesel engine
drive through a Duonic dual-clutch 6-speed transmission. The diesel engine
incorporates a stop/start system and the electric motor also functions as a
generator to recharge the batteries, meaning that there’s no plug-in
capability.
The truck pulls away on electric power
alone, although the diesel engine will be running on tick over to power the
steering and braking systems. As the speed passes 10km/h (6mph), the diesel
takes up the drive. As soon as the driver lifts off the throttle or touches the
brake pedal, the electric motor becomes a generator to replenish the battery,
ready to assist again during the energy hungry acceleration phase.
Mercedes
is actually working on a production car that will be loosely based on the Biome
design. The Biome-inspired car will be Mercedes' answer to eco-supercars offered
by German competitors, including the Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid and BMW Vision
Efficient Dynamics.
Fuso claims that the EcoHybrid can achieve
fuel and CO2 savings of up to 23% over the standard diesel truck, delivering a
four-year return on investment in a typical urban delivery operation.
