Capital Equipment News December 2016

TRANSPORT

Automatic driving systems currently being investigated at Scania feature functions that help drivers drive safer and free them up for other tasks while in traffic jams. Scan the QR code to watch the video!

Scania doesn’t expect driverless vehicles to be a common sight on public roads within the next decade, but vehicles with a higher degree of driver assistance and automated systems are anticipated.

increasing the usability of a particular fuel or a particular technology. The whole of the value chain needs to be made more efficient and measures need to be taken in all areas, including renewable energy, making vehicles more efficient and making movements more efficient,” says Magnus Hoglund, director of Sustainable Transport, Scania. Scania has been researching autonomous vehicles for more than 10 years. While the vehicles that Scania sells today already have a high degree of “self-driving” in the form of systems that regulate everything from speed to gearshifting strategies, these are, of course, still dependent on active supervision by the driver. “Scania doesn’t expect driverless vehicles to be a common sight on public roads within the next decade, but vehicles with a higher degree of driver assistance and automated systems are anticipated,” says Gunnar Tornmalm, head of Predevelopment and Systems Development, Scania. MAN’s eMobility theme MAN Truck and Bus also used IAA 2016 to showcase its electric TGS semitrailer tractor, the eTruck, alongside with its electrically-powered city bus and various charging infrastructure concepts, as part of its eMobility theme at the show. The 18 t eTruck is an electrically-powered semitrailer tractor for applications in

night-shift deliveries to city centre locations. It is based on a TGS 4x2 BLS-TS semitrailer tractor with an 18 t permissible total weight. The concept vehicle, which is optimised for operation with a city semitrailer with steerable single axle, fulfils the main demands being placed on future delivery vehicles for city centre applications, namely that they must have a high load volume and low unladen weight, be emission-free when on the move and at the same time have good manoeuvrability. Driving the MAN City Truck concept vehicle is a 250 kW electric motor which delivers 2 700 Nm of torque. Auxiliary units, such as power steering, air compressor and air-conditioning system, are electrically operated and controlled via the energy management system to ensure energy savings. The braking energy recovery system converts the kinetic energy of the vehicle into electrical energy during acceleration phases, and uses the energy for recharging the battery. The energy of the truck is provided by three 35,3 kWh high-performance lithium- ion batteries which are arranged under the driver’s cab above the front axle, where most standard vehicles have the diesel engine. Depending on use, the battery capacity permits a daily range of between 50 and 150 km. The batteries are normally charged overnight. The concept vehicle also has the technical infrastructure for

the installation of up to four additional batteries, each with a capacity of 35,5 kWh. The eTruck concept is said to represent just one aspect of MAN Truck & Bus’s eMobility strategy and offers a glimpse of the city centre transport solutions which are due to be part of MAN’s product range as of 2021. As part of the eMobility Roadmap, MAN is planning to unveil a pre- production bus version of a battery-electric vehicle by 2018. Series production of a 100% electrically-powered city bus will commence before 2020. b “Scania doesn’t expect driverless vehicles to be a common sight on public roads within the next decade, but vehicles with a higher degree of driver assistance and automated systems are anticipated.”

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