Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2024 - 20

Hydrogen
'inevitable'
FOR COMMERCIAL
VEHICLES
John Pendray,
Cummins senior
technical advisor
- technology
development.
afdc.energy.gov
An ICE fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG) or CNG hybrid offers the " quickest " approach to
reach cost and performance parity with conventional powertrains, FEV's modeling tool found.
Fatouraie said the approach led to better understanding of the real
tasks involved in achieving a no-compromise zero-emission vehicle.
For a FCEV variant, for example, he said that heat dissipation at high
loads " is a key enabler. "
Agarshna Murari Muthukannapiran, manager at FEV Consulting,
said his company also has developed a powertrain modeling tool that
helps customers to quickly identify a " best-fit " powertrain based on a
variety of criteria. The powertrain selection tool uses inputs for duty
cycle, payload and other variables - including a target total cost of
ownership - to suggest the best powertrain based on operation in
six regions and seven powertrain options.
The FEV tool determined that for a battery-electric approach,
some 80% of Class 4 to Class 8 CVs require around 2 kWh per mile
from a battery pack and that pack sizes would range from 60 kWh
capacity up to 1 MWh. To reach parity with conventional powertrains,
he said, an IC engine fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG) or
CNG hybrid offers the " quickest " approach.
Muthukannapiran said BEVs currently can make a strong business
case in some applications, particularly if hydrogen fueling infrastructure
lags. He said that the company's modeling determined that BEVs
are a better total-cost solution if the price of hydrogen is $10 per kilogram
or more. He added that BEVs aren't likely to be an effective
option for high-load vehicles such as cement mixers.
ICE remains in play
For commercial vehicles of almost all types and classes, internal combustion
is going to continue in a long transitional phase, most speakers
at the SAE conference asserted. And just as in the passengervehicle
sector, hydridization is a central part of the discussion.
20 April 2024
" Any fuel that anyone
can bring to the table
that's low-carbon [is an
actionable option]. "
Auxiliary heaters can more-efficiently provide cabin heat for
electrified transit buses, for example, preserving valuable energy
from the vehicle's onboard battery pack.
" One of the delightful things about hybrids is that
the ICE can do what it does best, " said Cummins'
Pendray. He said that IC engines still " will be around
in the 2050 timeframe, " but they are not going to
have the role they have today.
Bosch's Fatouraie said blending IC and BEV
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: U.S. DOE; SAE/BILL VISNIC; DOMETIC

http://afdc.energy.gov

Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2024

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