Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - February 2023 - 22

BLUE ARC AMPS UP FOR
EV PRODUCTION
traditional van and obviously were priorities in the
Blue Arc's design.
The Blue Arc van also is equipped with modern ADAS
features such as active emergency braking, lane-keep
assist, adaptive cruise control, a 360° camera with a HD
display, parking sensors and blind-spot detection.
Power cubed
Though Shyft has put forth a considerable amount of
effort in developing and promoting its EV delivery van,
the Power Cube is just as promising a concept. Ted
Jacquay, senior product manager for Shyft Innovations,
discussed the features of the Power Cube, which also
was on display at M1 Concourse as a proof of concept.
" We used to call it an EV charger, " said Jacquay.
The Power Cube features both 110-V and 220-V hookups and carries up to 3 MW of
onboard power. It supports both SAE Level 2 and DC fast-charging capabilities.
" But [we] started referring to it as a 'microgrid' because
after talking to customers, we found out that
there's so many more potential uses for it. " The Power
Cube features both 110-V and 220-V hookups and carries
up to 3 MW of onboard power. It supports both
SAE Level 2 and DC fast-charging capabilities as was
demonstrated at the event. The cube's inverters can
bring in single-phase power and convert to threephase
for DC-to-DC fast charge.
" It's like a big reservoir, " said Jacquay. " It can charge
The Blue Arc van's cooling system helps maintain an optimal operating
temperature in the battery pack.
walkthrough of the changes the company had already made from the
frame displayed at Work Truck Week in Indianapolis. Many of the changes
centered around optimization of production and ease of assembly, as
well as tweaks to improve the ride and handling.
It doesn't take long in the driver seat of the Blue Arc van to appreciate
the efforts Shyft put into vehicle dynamics. For those with experience
driving conventional box trucks, driving a commercial vehicle that
exhibits reasonable ride manners when unladen is a revelation.
Also appreciated was the attention Shyft has devoted to driver
ergonomics. The company had a contemporary delivery van on hand
for a point of comparison. The seating position, step-in height, outward
visibility and overall driver comfort were clearly superior to the
22 February 2023
all day long while trucks are out making their deliveries,
and when they come back at night you plug them
in. We can charge about 10 trucks on this station but
can add capacity as needed. " The batteries in the
Power Cube are currently air-cooled, but Shyft is planning
to transition to liquid-cooled units targeted to
provide more controlled cooling in harsh environments.
The battery packs in the Blue Arc van are liquid-cooled,
which means they could see use in the
Power Cube once they have reached 80% life, extending
their use for 10-15 years.
The concept for the Power Cube was born from talking
with potential customers and utilities for the EV
van. " About six months ago, after we had started the
EV project, a lot of customers had come to us saying
'one of the challenges we have is getting up to speed
and outfitting our facilities to a point where we can
actually start charging units,' " Jacquay explained.
" We [also] talked with Duke Energy at the ACT
Expo and they explained that it can take anywhere
from 18-36 months to get a new transformer installed
that is capable of charging 20-30 trucks. At that point
we asked, 'What can we do?' And that's where this
idea came from. "
The unit can store energy from the grid or a generator,
with supplemental supply via solar. The optional
solar panel tracks with the sun and can add up to 30
kWh of capacity after six hours of sun. The company
also is in talks with a supplier in the U.K. for outfitting
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
BOTH IMAGES: BLUE ARC
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - February 2023

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