Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2020 - 8

TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS

ALTERNATIVE PROPULSION

EVs are coming, but challenges,
alternative fuels will slow turnover

AI can help
systems analyze
images and predict failures.

Terry Costlow

8 April 2020

PSI's 8.8-L engine
for truck and industrial
applications provides fuel
flexibility, running on propane,
natural gas, or gasoline.
Regulatory attacks on petroleum are sparking heavy investments in battery power, but alternative fuels continue to spar
for growth. As vehicles move slowly from diesel to alternatives, owners and operators will need to focus on training and
telematics to maximize efficiency.
Battery power was front and center in Indianapolis at the
Green Truck Summit in March, as speakers described infrastructure challenges and training requirements as well as
equipment pricing issues. Alternative fuels remain viable as
vehicle suppliers strive to meet regulations that sharply reduce emissions over the next two decades.
"By 2039, we want all our production vehicles to be carbon
neutral," Sean Waters, VP of product compliance and regulatory
affairs, Daimler Trucks North America, said in the keynote speech.
"That's one year before the California mandate. The transition will
take some help from government; the total cost of ownership for
electrified vehicles doesn't support going to electrics."
Many speakers agreed that electric vehicles (EVs) need to
fit specific applications, especially those where vehicles can
return to bases nightly for recharging. Several also agreed
that battery power is still too expensive for many applications, calling for governments to subsidize electric vehicles.
Joseph Moser of Commonwealth Edison, which supplies power for the greater Chicago area, noted that incentives remain a
critical factor. "When we looked at hybrids, incentives were a big
issue. If they're not available, we do not go to hybrids," he said.
While incentives may be needed to jump-start the market,
government handouts alone can't create a strong market.
"Incentives are fine, but they're not a long-term solution," said
Michael McDonald, senior director, sustainability and government affairs, UPS. "The cost of equipment has to come down."
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

FROM LEFT: CURTISS-WRIGHT; POWER SOLUTIONS INTERNATIONAL

and data centers, providing huge markets that attract investment funding to fuel development teams. Defense contractors are leveraging the rapid advances.
"It is creeping into everything, it's going to define most of
the next big trends," said John Bratton, sensor product marketing director at Mercury Systems. "It's outpacing Moore's
Law, capabilities double every three to six months. Nobody
patents anything because it's obsolete in less than a year."
That quick rate of change may pose problems for military
programs that move on far longer development cycles. Many
of the high-end systems and components developed by VITA
members have long development and production periods.
"Success comes over a long cycle," said Shan Morgan, president of Elma Electronic. "It takes about 18 months to deliver
a prototype, and it can be three to four years before you go
to production."
That's not the only obstacle for broader usage of AI. While
usage in leading-edge military systems is growing, more
mainstream applications are emerging at a slower pace. Some
of the challenges include verification, which can be difficult
since system responses can change as systems learn. Another
is the sea change for programmers who must learn complex
new technologies that are rapidly changing.
"A lot of people don't know how to use AI," said Noah
Donaldson, CTO at Annapolis Micro Systems. "They're used to
telling the computer what to do, not letting the computer do
something programmers may not have thought of."
While shipments may be relatively small now, most conference presenters are looking into AI's potential roles in their
strategies. Research programs are under way at companies as
diverse as Interface Concepts, a French board manufacturer,
and Elma, which makes the card cage packages that house
computer boards. Some environments are well suited to AI's
analytical capabilities.
"Today, we don't see a lot of people using AI," said Michael
Slonosky, at Curtiss-Wright. "It's very useful for prognostics,
predicting when failures might occur. Machine vision is also a
good application for AI."
The technology can bring significant benefits for warfighters.
"When you don't have a GPS connection but you do have stored
maps and cameras, AI can help identify the area you're in, in daylight or at night," said David Saar, CTO at Aitech Defense Systems.

Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2020