Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2024 - 20

TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS
they can't wait three years, " said Arcady
Sosinov, founder and CEO of FreeWire
Technologies with global headquarters in
Newark, California.
FreeWire's ultrafast chargers operate
differently than other mass-produced
ultrafast chargers. " When the charger
connects to the power grid, it uses only
a low amount of power - which already
existed on the site - to charge up the
internal battery, " Sosinov said.
Approximately 20 kW comes into the
charging unit from the grid, but the
charging station's output is 200 kW.
That 180-kW difference is pushed out by
the charging unit's internal battery.
According to Sosinov, a fully depleted
Volvo electric truck's recharge time takes
between four and six hours. " That's fast
for a Class 8 truck, " he said.
Electric refrigeration
The Volvo electric trucks are matched
with a reefer trailer equipped with a
FreeWire ultrafast charging stations' energy requirements are nearly 10 times lower than traditional
charging stations, reducing peak energy demand and grid strain while providing more efficient power.
zero-emission SolarTechTRU from Mesa,
Arizona-based Advanced Energy
Machines (AEM.GREEN). A traditional
TRU is diesel-powered versus AEM's
patented, all-electric, 46-volt DC unit.
Located in the same front-of-trailer location
as a diesel-fueled TRU counterpart,
the electric TRU has a conventional
condenser, evaporator, compressor
and electric motor.
" The battery resides underneath at
   
mid-trailer, " said Robert Koelsch, cofounder
and CEO of AEM.GREEN. AEM's
standard Li-ion battery pack is 109
kWh. Charging for the battery is via
AEM's patented charging pads that the
trailer's landing gear rest atop.
" We use AI to automate the entire
charging process, so no human is plugging
and unplugging cords, " Koelsch
said. For a completely depleted battery
pack, the charging process takes about
eight hours. To date, the Gilroy site has
30 of AEM's electric TRUs. Each of
those electric refrigeration units is estimated
to eliminate approximately 20
tons of CO2
emissions per year versus a
  
    
       
     
   
    
    
       
     
 
   
20 June 2024
diesel-powered TRU.
Transitioning PFG's Gilroy site to a
sustainable distribution center requires
assists from multiple companies,
stressed Volvo's Pope. " As a traditional
truck manufacturer, we're really good
at the truck part - that's not a problem.
But once you go from traditional
drivelines into alternative energy or
battery-electric, you have to involve a
lot more players, " he said. " It takes
partnerships to create a sustainable
ecosystem. "
Kami Buchholz
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
FREEWIRE

http://info.hotims.com/86281-714

Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2024