Waste concept: Mack tests out Wrightspeed electric powertrain

[kscarbel2]

Fleet Owner  /  June 7, 2016

In the first evaluation of this technology for a Class 8 refuse vehicle, Mack Trucks is showcasing a LR model refuse chassis retrofitted with Wrightspeed's "Route 1000" powertrain here at WasteExpo 2016.

Designed as an alternative driveline to conventional piston engine and transmission systems, The Route is an electric vehicle powertrain that can provide "unlimited range and reduced fuel costs for today's refuse, delivery and mass transit markets," according to Wrightspeed.

"Mack is the refuse industry leader because we're not afraid to pioneer new ideas and innovations," said Dennis Slagle, president of Mack Trucks. "Wrightspeed shares this pioneering spirit, which is why we're eager to evaluate their Route powertrain technology."

The Wrightspeed Route powertrain uses electricity to deliver 100% of the vehicle's propulsion. The company says the system features an advanced, plug-in-capable battery pack that provides a range of up to 24 miles on electric power. When the batteries' charge is depleted, Wrightspeed's 80 kW "fuel agnostic" Fulcrum turbine generator recharges the batteries, enabling Route-equipped vehicles to have unlimited range with refueling, Wrightspeed says.

Additional recharging comes from the Route's 730 kW regenerative braking system, which generates electricity as the vehicle comes to a stop. Regenerative braking helps Route-equipped vehicles cut down on maintenance costs, Wrighspeed notes, "as braking force — and subsequent brake wear — is significantly decreased."

Electricity from the battery pack powers four electric motors, which the company says allows the Route to power vehicles up to 66,000 lbs. on grades as steep as 40%. With full torque available from zero rpm, Wrightspeed says The Route provides a driving experience comparable to diesel-powered trucks. Wrightspeed counts FedEx, Ratto Group and New Zealand Bus among early customers.

"At Wrightspeed, we're focused on designing the best-performing powertrains for forward-looking OEMs and fleet operators," said Ian Wright, CEO and founder of Wrightspeed. "Mack represents one of the most innovative manufacturers in the refuse industry, and we're proud to showcase our technology alongside their Mack LR model."

 

Wrightspeed “Route” introduction and VIDEO - http://www.wrightspeed.com/the-route-powertrain

 

Related reading:

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/38533-tesla-co-founder-electrified-about-garbage-trucks/#comment-275237

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39936-wrightspeed-unveils-new-turbine-range-extender-for-medium-and-heavy-duty-electric-powertrains-30-more-efficient-than-current-microturbine-generator/#comment-289053

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/37393-fedex%E2%80%99s-new-electric-trucks-get-a-boost-from-diesel-turbines/#comment-26342

 

FYI: The current Mack VP of N.A. sales worked one year at Wrightspeed in 2013 (he changes jobs annually). (http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/44647-mack-trucks-names-senior-vp-of-sales-for-north-america/#comment-329486)

[kscarbel2]

 

[TeamsterGrrrl]

That's gonna take a whole lotta KWH of battery capacity... The first million dollar garbage truck?

[kscarbel2]

But battery technology is moving along at a nice pace now, smaller, lighter and greater capacity battery packs. 

I'm also optimistic about vehicle-equipped micro-turbines.

[staxx]

Very interesting 👍🏁🏁

[Dirtymilkman]

I still say they should hire Doc Brown and use the garbage to power the flux capacitor.

[kscarbel2]

I encourage everyone to take 16 minutes to watch the video (Ian Wright's presentation) above.

[Dirtymilkman]

Very interesting video, battery technology is changing so fast that this may get cheaper. 

[james j neiweem]

Probably only  matter of time before micro turbines and electric drive replace diesels. I would think this could be adapted to locomotives also.

[TeamsterGrrrl]

There's still the problem of battery costs, for example a modern car like a Tesla needs only 20 horsepower to cruise at 60 MPH, and it needs a near 100 kilowatt battery pack to get a close to 300 mile range. That massive battery pack is most of the cost of a hundred thousand dollar Tesla. An 80,000 pound USAMax tractor trailer rig needs around 200 HP to cruise at 60 MPH, about 10 times the load, and would need 10 times the battery capacity at 10 times the price to move said 80k truck 'til lunch break and a recharge. That megawatt hour sized battery pack would cost around half a million dollars making the truck uncompetitive. You could cut into the size of battery pack required some with a microturbine, but their fuel consumption is pretty bad though they can run on some cheap fuels that internal combustion engines won't tolerate. On road recharging via over overhead catenerary or under road wire loops has been theorized... But once you've hung overhead wires you may as well hang tracks underneath, and high power wireless charging is going to face the mother of all "stray current" problems that have blocked new power lines.

[kscarbel2]

9 hours ago, TeamsterGrrrl said:

There's still the problem of battery costs, for example a modern car like a Tesla needs only 20 horsepower to cruise at 60 MPH, and it needs a near 100 kilowatt battery pack to get a close to 300 mile range. That massive battery pack is most of the cost of a hundred thousand dollar Tesla. An 80,000 pound USAMax tractor trailer rig needs around 200 HP to cruise at 60 MPH, about 10 times the load, and would need 10 times the battery capacity at 10 times the price to move said 80k truck 'til lunch break and a recharge. That megawatt hour sized battery pack would cost around half a million dollars making the truck uncompetitive. You could cut into the size of battery pack required some with a microturbine, but their fuel consumption is pretty bad though they can run on some cheap fuels that internal combustion engines won't tolerate. On road recharging via over overhead catenerary or under road wire loops has been theorized... But once you've hung overhead wires you may as well hang tracks underneath, and high power wireless charging is going to face the mother of all "stray current" problems that have blocked new power lines.

My understanding is the fuel economy of the Wrightspeed-designed micro-turbine is good, better than the Capstone units that everyone else has employed in their studies. The micro-turbine is the key to eliminating large, heavy and costly battery packs, and making the system viable.

Ian Wright is extremely sharp. He's an engineer than also understands the elements of truckmaking.

Paccar (Kenworth) is running several Capstone-powered units on the west coast, and is enthusiastic about the results.

I view overhead electrification as a step in the learning curve.

[Dirtymilkman]

Overhead electrification is early 1900's technology. And a mess. 

[kscarbel2]

1 hour ago, Dirtymilkman said:

Overhead electrification is early 1900's technology. And a mess. 

It's been a healthy step in the educational process.

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/45271-electric-trucks-–-how-the-technology-works/#comment-333783

 

[kscarbel2]

A new Route forward for electrification

Truck News  /  July 4, 2016

Will the Route electric powertrain revolutionize the refuse truck industry in five years? Its developer certainly thinks so.

Within five years, no one will be buying garbage trucks with diesel engines. Instead, they’ll be using Wrightspeed’s Route, a range-extended electric powertrain, according to Ian Wright, the man behind the new concept.

It’s a bold prediction, but its inventor does have some credibility. Wright co-founded electric car company Tesla and also developed the fastest street legal electric-powered car in the world, the X1. Now, he has turned his attention to the truck market, where he sees the greatest potential for fuel and maintenance savings by converting to electric power.

Wrightspeed’s Route powertrain completely replaces the traditional diesel engine, transmission, differentials and prop shaft. Power is provided by electric motors at each wheel, which can generate up to 300 hp for 45 second intervals or 150 hp continuously. A Fulcrum turbine, capable of running on any fuel, is used to keep charged a small battery pack that powers the electric motors.

The turbine allows the Wrightspeed Route powertrain to run off a small battery bank, which traditionally has been the barrier to electric drivetrain adoption in heavy-duty applications.

“Once you start doing the engineering, you realize that you can’t carry enough battery to do it,” Wright said of electrification. “You wind up with a garbage truck, in a 130-mile daily driving cycle, where you’d wind up using about half the payload just for the battery.”

Wright’s solution was to use a smaller battery pack and keep it charged through regenerative braking and the use of the turbine as a range extender.

The Route powertrain is unlike any previous attempts at electrification in the heavy-duty vehicle market, Wright explained, because it completely replaces the traditional powertrain.

“Don’t underestimate peoples’ unwillingness to believe that,” he said. “I’ve had people actually looking at the powertrain in a truck and start talking about what we’re doing with the diesel engine. They’re looking at the space where it used to be, it isn’t there, and they still want to know about it. So, getting across to people that it is not an add-on, it is not a hybrid, it actually completely replaces the powertrain (is a challenge).”

Replacing the diesel engine and exhaust aftertreatment also nets a weight savings of about 700 lbs, Wright said.

FedEx is currently operating two trucks powered by the Route powertrain and Wright said the company has received orders for 250 more. FedEx, Wright said, isn’t sharing details on its real-world results because the powertrain is viewed as a competitive advantage. He noted Wrightspeed, in its own testing, has seen fuel savings of about 60% and has practically eliminated brake wear in certain applications.

So far, Wrightspeed has been working most closely with Mack Trucks, since it has expressed the greatest interest in incorporating the powertrain into its vehicles. Other OEMs are wary, Wright acknowledged, because it’s a “radical” departure from traditional thinking.

“Frankly, we are not out there pushing it out to truck manufacturers,” he said. “We’re responding to stimuli. People are approaching us and Mack was the first of the truck manufacturers who approached us with a pretty serious intent to get the thing into their garbage truck, so we’re working with them.”

Mack and Wrightspeed showed a Route-equipped garbage truck at this year’s WasteExpo trade show. Wright emphasized the benefits of the Route powertrain will only be seen in certain stop-and-go duty cycles, and he takes a dim view of electrification in long-haul applications. His skepticism extends to the well-hyped Nikola One Class 8 long-haul truck that’s received considerable fanfare amid announcements the company has received 7,000 orders for a truck that has yet to be built.

“It doesn’t work in long-haul,” Wright said of electrification. “You can’t just wish away the laws of physics. You go and do the numbers and that is not going to be worth the extra cost. You’re not going to save any fuel and it’s going to add fantastically to the cost of the vehicle, so why would you do that?”

But in the appropriate applications, especially refuse, where trash trucks can burn diesel at a rate of a gallon for every 2.5 miles, Wright is confident his Route powertrain will take over – and quickly.

“I think within five years, there won’t be any more diesel engines sold into that market,” he said. “It will all be done this way because it’s so compelling in that application…I think it will be completely dominant in five years, in that application. And it will make no progress at all in the long-haul application.”

Wright will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Surface Transportation Summit in Toronto Oct. 13. You can find the complete agenda and registration details here.

[staxx]

Very interesting !

[kscarbel2]

This video shows the Mack LR refuse chassis being retrofitted with Wrightspeed's "Route 1000" powertrain for WasteExpo 2016.

Also shown is the retrofitted Ratto Group Freightliner Condor now working in Sonoma County, California.

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[kscarbel2]

Mack Evaluating Wrightspeed Electric Powertrain for Refuse Industry

Volvo Group Press Release  /  January 5, 2017

The Wrightspeed Route is a range-extended electric vehicle powertrain that helps reduce fuel consumption and vehicle maintenance costs because it uses electricity to deliver 100 percent of the vehicle’s propulsion.

“As the clear leader in the refuse industry, Mack consistently seeks opportunities to pioneer new technology,” said Curtis Dorwart, Mack refuse product marketing manager. “We’re currently evaluating Wrightspeed’s powertrain technology to see how it can most benefit Mack’s refuse customers.”

The system features an advanced plug-in-capable battery pack that enables a purely electric range of up to 24 miles. When the batteries’ charge is depleted, an 80 kW, fuel agnostic Fulcrum™ Turbine Generator, which can operate on natural gas or diesel fuel, recharges the batteries, enabling Route-equipped vehicles to have unlimited range with refueling.

Additional recharging comes from the Route’s 730 kW regenerative braking system, which generates electricity as the vehicle comes to a stop. Regenerative braking helps reduce maintenance costs, as braking force – and subsequent brake wear – is significantly decreased.

Electricity from the battery pack powers four Geared Traction Drive™ (GTD) electric motors, enabling the Route powertrain to power vehicles up to 66,000 pounds on grades as steep as 40 percent. With full torque available from zero rpm, the Route provides a driving experience comparable to diesel-powered trucks.