Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2023 - 23

ELECTRIFICATION FEATURE
promised price reduction, sodium-ion
could be a prime match for the needs of
this nuanced market.
The construction EV industry is still
Battery requirements vary depending on vehicle sizing and application.
range, normally opting for the more
expensive NMC chemistry, anticipating
that their consumers will be more comfortable
with the additional cost.
Unfortunately, there is not much data
concerning which battery chemistries
North American or APAC-based OEMs
favor. This is mostly because OEMs in
these regions are not as far along in their
electrification journeys. North America is a
prime example. Caterpillar and John
Deere have made a recent push with electric
construction vehicles showcased at
Bauma 2022, CES 2023 and CONEXPO
2023. However, these machines are still
some years away from production, and
battery chemistries are yet to be confirmed.
An educated guess, however,
would suggest that Caterpillar likely will
use NMC for reasons similar to those driving
decisions at European OEMs.
Is sodium-ion a future
candidate?
Another possible contender for the construction
industry is sodium-ion, an emerging
chemistry that does not have an established
market yet. The key thing to know is
that sodium-based solutions can be produced
at lower costs than lithium ones, but
they will not offer the same performance
capabilities. In this respect, the batteries
have the same trade-offs as LFP batteries.
The issue is that sodium-ion is not yet
a scaled solution, so it is more expensive
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
October 2023 23
than both LFP and NMC while having
worse performance. Sodium, therefore,
does not make sense in the construction
industry for the time being. However, if
it can be scaled and then deliver the
nascent, with few vehicles in series production.
However, if recent activity and
announcements are to be believed, the
number of machines available in the
next few years is going to explode. In
IDTechEx's report, a 10-year CAGR of
37% is forecasted, with the electric construction
machine industry growing to a
value of US$150 billion in 2043. All this
growth will give rise to significant battery
demand. Whether the solution
ends up being NMC, LFP or perhaps
even Na-ion, the evolution of this industry
is underway and accelerating fast.
Dr. James Jeffs, senior technology analyst
at IDTechEx, wrote this research summary
submitted to TOHE. The " Electric Vehicles
in Construction 2023-2043 " report can
be accessed at www.IDTechEx.com/
EVConstruction.
IDTECHEX
http://www.IDTechEx.com/EVConstruction http://info.hotims.com/84505-709
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2023

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