Heavy-Duty Truck Components
Increasing scrutiny on the environmental impact of heavy-duty trucks has led to innovative heat-treatment schemes for the creation of lightweight components. Intensive quenching is one such method that allows for extreme cooling rates and creates components with high power density. Forging companies can also make money by selling these lightweight components to the heavy-duty trucking industry. A new study published in the journal Advanced Materials suggests that this method could save up to 30 percent of the truck’s weight.
Hollow and bimetallic power transmission shafts can also reduce the weight of a heavy-duty truck components. These shafts have fewer moving parts than traditional ones, making them lighter. Using hollow axle shafts instead of bimetallic shafts could save up to 86.6 pounds from a four-axle truck. If bimetallic shafts were used, weight reduction would only be 2 percent.
In addition to battery and chargers, electric vehicles have to have high-performance vector control operations to provide an efficient charge. A lithium-ion battery from Hitachi Automotive Systems has outstanding durability, safety, and environmental impact. Its development is a joint project with Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Ltd. Hyliion Holdings plans to develop a battery module based on Toshiba lithium-titanate cells. The next generation battery module will power the company’s ERX system.
Weight Reduction of Heavy-Duty Truck Components
To fund the acquisition of Aeroquip-Vickers, Eaton sold several operations. The engineered fasteners business was sold to TransTechnology Corp., the hydraulic and power division to Borg-Warner Automotive, and the mobile hydraulic cylinder business to Hyco International. In 1999, the company consolidated its operations into five segments. This reorganization helped the company have its best year in the company’s history. In 1999, the company reported a net income of $617 million on $8.4 billion of revenue.
Other components of an electric truck include the battery pack and charging port. The battery pack itself is made up of many components. These components are very similar to those found in a conventional vehicle. They have one in common: a charging port that is similar to that of a gas tank. An integrated thermal management system is used to regulate the temperature of the battery pack and extend the battery’s life. The battery also houses various accessories that use 12 volt direct current or electricity.
Russia is a key market for Daimler Truck. The Russian market represents about three percent of the company’s global sales. As a result, the company is cutting production and parts shipments to dealers in the country, as part of its response to the crisis. In addition to Daimler Truck, other German truck manufacturers have frozen their business operations in the country. Some of these manufacturers may also follow suit.
