E-drives in commercial vehicles and work machines

"The electrification of drives is an investment in the future in many respects. During our in-house exhibition, we showed how easy the changeover really is for commercial vehicles and work machines," explained Thomas Scholz, Sales Manager at Baumüller Anlagen-Systemtechnik GmbH & Co. KG at the end of the event.

Under the guiding theme "E-drives in commercial vehicles and work machines", partners and customers reported on their practical experiences with electrification. Tips from experts on funding opportunities in this area rounded off the series of lectures. The subsequent panel discussion "Electrification concepts: Good without alternatives?" ended the official part and led over to networking. The event provided an ideal platform for exchange and discussion on the electrification of traction systems and auxiliary units.

Switching to e-drives: reports directly from the field

What exactly awaits the customer in the electrification process? And what challenges had to be overcome during the implementation? And what was actually the motivation for this? In expert presentations, partners and customers, among others, reported on their own motivations and their experiences with alternatives to the combustion engine.

After the welcome by Managing Director Andreas Baumüller, Thomas Scholz and Stefan Krahn from Baumüller Anlagen-Systemtechnik GmbH & Co. KG kicked off the event with a presentation on hybrid and fully electric e-mobility solutions from Baumüller. They presented customised drive systems ranging from individual motors and components to comprehensive drive systems with self-regulating energy and battery management.

A significant reduction in noise and CO2 emissions was achieved by Tracto-Technik GmbH & Co. KG achieved a significant reduction in noise and CO2 emissions with the electrification of its horizontal drilling machine, which was exhibited on the Baumüller site. The turnkey drive solution for this was developed by Baumüller. The advantage of the solution is that the energy supply can be ensured in an uncomplicated manner via the usually already existing construction power and the machine still has autonomy for positioning on the construction site thanks to the equipment with a high-voltage battery.

The impulse for the development of an electric tractor was to use the electricity produced by a photovoltaic or biogas system on the farm. Dr. Thaddäus Baier, Managing Director of TADUS GmbH, reported on his experiences with this and on the future prospects of e-tractors. Tadus GmbH and Baumüller worked closely together to develop system solutions that are optimally tailored to the requirements of a tractor. The two axle drives, the rear PTO drive and the drive for the working and steering hydraulics come from the Baumüller motor series. The diesel generator, which serves as a range extender in the first stage of development and consists of a permanently excited synchronous motor and a diesel engine, was also designed by Baumüller. The Tadus test vehicle was also on display as an exhibit.

Emission-free and almost noiseless - this is how DB Schenker delivers to Baumüller almost every day. The battery-electric truck is also equipped with Baumüller motors. The presentation "Green Logistics" by Eric Wirsing of Schenker Deutschland GmbH focused, among other things, on the image factor with regard to solutions for efficient and sustainable transport. Wirsing pointed out that innovations, new ideas and also new cooperations are more necessary than ever in order to maintain Germany's pioneering role in logistics in the future.

Once the technology for a conversion to low-emission commercial vehicles is in place, the financial aspects need to be clarified. Dr. Thomas Rüsch from PromoTool GmbH spoke about the variety of funding opportunities in the area of commercial vehicles with batteries or fuel cells. He showed which funding programmes are available and what the requirements are. If required, PromoTool can provide support in applying for public funding for research and development projects and in financing the investment projects.

Electrification concepts: Good without alternatives?

At the panel discussion on the topic "Electrification concepts: Carsten Bücker, CBC GmbH & Co.KG, and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Döpper, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, will discuss when which energy source makes sense. But also what developments are coming out of research in this area. Possible stumbling blocks in electrification were also addressed with lively participation from the expert audience.

Smart drive solutions for emission-free mobility

Baumüller uses its decades of experience in engine development and the production of electric motors and has been offering energy-efficient components and complete solutions for hybrid and fully electric drive systems for some time. Baumüller's engineering house, Baumüller Anlagen-Systemtechnik, takes on the design and implementation of innovative drive concepts for commercial vehicles and implements them in their entirety, i.e. from the components and battery management to the control system and user-friendly user interface.

The low-noise and low-emission drive solutions are used, among other things, in hybrid agricultural machinery, tracked vehicles or fully electric city buses and municipal vehicles.