Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - December 2019 - 22

Narrower focus,
BIGGER PAYOFF

ELECTRIFICATION FEATURE

Just as truck developers can leverage advances
equipment. Nikola Motor Co. is taking this approach
made in electrification technologies for passenger
as it races to get electric and hydrogen fuel-cell
cars, engineers designing electrified powertrains for
powertrains ready for on- and off-highway vehicles.
off-highway equipment plan to leverage advances in
One goal is to use the same circuit boards in as
on-highway vehicles. But in many off-highway demany systems as possible.
signs, additional ruggedization will be needed.
"Off-road vehicles have severe environmental
Power electronics and motors for commercial
requirements for connectors and components," said
trucks will typically have longer lifetimes and toughVaroujan Sarkissian, head of electrical and control
er environmental requirements than components
Deere's hybrid-electric 644 has
systems at Nikola. "Some parts in our off-road veused in passenger cars. Off-highway vehicles have
helped the company establish
hicles get submerged; they need to meet strict
even more stringent reliability requirements, but
maintenance programs for
regulations. We want a family of products that
they don't have large enough volumes to attract
battery-powered vehicles.
serve both markets so we can use the same prodmuch attention from component manufacturers.
ucts. We use different seals, different connectors
That's expected to change when the markets for inverters, power deand different enclosures so we don't have to change the electronics."
vices and other components used in electrified powertrains rise,
However, the expansion of battery power will come at a fairly slow
prompting more component development programs to focus on compace. Many off-highway markets have already changed over, but the
mercial markets. Until then, companies will be on their own in the effort
rate of change will be slow for many of the remaining applications. It's
to meet harsh environmental requirements.
hard for batteries to compete with diesel power.
"On-highway equipment needs to be hardened before it can be
"We'll see dominance by diesels for the next several decades; it
used in off-highway machines," said Michael Weinert, VP of engineering
can be three to five times the cost for a full-electric vehicle versus
at John Deere. "Volumes are low for off-highway applications; they're
diesel," said Shelley Knust, executive director, off-highway engineereven lower when you're going to electrification components. Volumes
ing at Cummins. "We will have first adopters, people who will pay
will be quite low during the transition to electrified powertrains."
more. But for the bulk of the market, cost is a big factor."
Terry Costlow
Hardening enclosures is one of the simplest ways to ruggedize

22 December 2019

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TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

JOHN DEERE

Connectors and components head off-highway

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Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - December 2019

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