Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2022 - 12

TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS
THERMAL MANAGEMENT
Webasto delivers battery thermal management for Zeus EV chassis
Electric work trucks are beginning to
roll off the line at Zeus Electric
Chassis' production facility in White
Bear Lake, Minnesota. Zeus is providing
the Sacramento Municipal Utility
District (SMUD) with five built-to-spec
Class 5 EVs, four of which are being
upfitted with truck bodies from the
Knapheide Manufacturing Co.: an electric
stake truck; an electric open-body
service truck; an electric closed-body
service truck with crew cab; and an
electric dump truck.
Knapheide is not the only company
Zeus has worked with since early in its
chassis development process. Webasto
supplies a single-source battery, software
and thermal management solution
used for the Zeus EV chassis. " We
worked closely with Zeus' engineers to
provide a highly flexible battery system
that will evolve with Zeus' vehicle lineup
and business, " Taylor Hansen, president
and CEO of the Customized Solutions
- Americas Region, Webasto Group,
told Truck & Off-Highway Engineering.
The relationship with Zeus began at an
industry tradeshow in 2019, she noted.
The Webasto Commercial Vehicle
(CV) Standard battery, battery-electric
thermal management unit (eBTM), and
the vehicle interface box (ViB) that contains
the power distribution system and
battery management with DC fastcharge
capability, are included in the
system. The battery packaging is crashtested
and validated up to 100 kN
(22,480 lb) and is rated IP67 for water
tightness. A single CV standard battery
is rated at 400 VDC and 35 kWh, but
depending on the configuration, it can
become an 800-VDC system with up to
350 kWh when utilizing the ViB.
The eBTM is a standalone, plug-andplay
system designed to ensure optimal
functioning of water glycol-cooled battery
packs. " It ensures long-term ideal
battery cell performance by actively
regulating the temperature of the battery
packs, " Hansen said. Using sophisticated
computer simulations, factors
such as duty cycles, climate and geographies
can be used to determine the
appropriate number of battery packs
and the type of thermal management
needed to optimize battery performance
and lifespan.
Webasto's thermal management system
uses both active and passive cooling,
as well as electric fluid heating and
heat pump systems. Within the battery
pack, the modules also include desiccant
cartridges that reduce condensation,
integrated thermal runaway detection
sensors and state-of-the-art pressure
equalization monitors for added safety.
The main benefit of the system, Hansen
said, is that it allows the customer flexibility
to scale up or down using the same
components, which ultimately helps keep
costs under control. " The Webasto battery
solution enables Zeus to size for capacity
and integrate for both range and
work functions, " she said. " This system
flexibility and the Zeus holistic integration
approach allows fleets to field mediumduty
EV work trucks that meet their specifications
and perform the work for an 8to
10-hour day. "
The Webasto battery system is deWebasto's
relationship with Zeus began at
an industry tradeshow in 2019.
12 June 2022
signed for a wide variety of vehicle types,
Hansen noted. These can include lightduty,
heavy-duty, off-highway as well as
special-purpose vehicles for emergency
services, police and security organizations.
The scalable solution also can work with
commercial fuel cell systems. " Given that
it is plug-and-play, our product line allows
integrators to optimize the fuel cell system
for its specific application, " she said.
Ryan Gehm
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
Zeus Electric Chassis' first
customer is the Sacramento
Municipal Utility District.
FROM TOP: ZEUS; WEBASTO
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2022

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