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ENCLOSURES FEATURE The future electric commercial vehicle


Cressall’s Simone Bruckner explains how energy captured through regenerative braking can be used effectively in commercial vehicles


W


ith Dyson recently announcing its surprise move into the electric


vehicle market, it is clear that the electric car boom is upon us. However, the technology behind these vehicles must continue to be refined to perfect its use in alternative applications, including commercial vehicles. Traditional heavy-duty commercial


vehicles represent only seven per cent of vehicles on the road, but account for over 25 per cent of fuel consumption in the USA. Legislation exists to tackle this problem. However, emissions will never be totally eliminated from an internal combustion engine. One answer is to replace commercial vehicles powered by internal combustion with electric counterparts. Commercial vehicles are designed to have


longer working lives than household cars, so zero-emission commercial electric vehicles can make a much larger environmental impact per unit than the average electric family car. A recent study found that short driving ranges and battery technology are two of the key factors stopping consumers purchasing electric vehicles. A lack of range due to energy storage capacity can cause considerable downtime for businesses operating a fleet of vehicles. This proves costly and must be addressed if commercial electric vehicles are to be adopted more widely.


Improvements to battery technologies can be slow to hit the commercial market and are often expensive. Another option for increasing range using current lithium-ion battery technology is retaining the energy lost through braking. Traditional friction brakes convert the kinetic energy from the car’s motion to heat, where it is lost. However, regenerative brakes have the ability to convert the kinetic energy into electricity, or chemical energy that can be stored within the battery. The wheels of electric vehicles are


turned by electric motors, powered by the battery. When this motor runs in reverse to slow the vehicle when the brake pedal is pressed, it becomes a generator, producing energy that can then be stored in the battery. During regenerative braking, the motor


turns backwards to slow the vehicle. The energy from the movement of the vehicle causes the motor to run in reverse and so energy that would usually be lost through braking is captured. Because the health of lithium ion batteries depends on keeping them partially charged, the additional energy from regenerative braking may not only help to extend the range of the current battery cycle, but also improve overall battery health. This may help to increase the lifespan of the expensive battery, saving both money and resources. When the battery is full, or in the event of an electrical fault, a backup system must be employed to discharge the excess energy, often in the form of a resistor, such as Cressall’s EV2. This emergency braking scenario is particularly crucial with heavier vehicles,


which may struggle to discharge energy when coming to a sudden halt. For safety reasons, regenerative brakes are backed up with traditional friction brakes, which are used when sharp braking is employed in emergency situations. In traditional vehicles with internal


combustion engines, heat is taken from the engine via the radiator and passed through circulating coolant also, making use of the excess energy removed from the engine to prevent overheating. However, because there is no engine or


equivalent component in fully electric vehicles, there is no excess heat to be captured. Therefore, electric vehicles are forced to use resistance heating to use energy taken from the battery to heat the cabin. This uses a lot of current and runs the risk of discharging the battery extremely quickly. An alternative is using a water-cooled


resistor, such as Cressall’s EV2, for heating as well as braking. When energy captured through regenerative braking is passed through the EV2, the heat passed into the cooling water can be transferred to the cabin in much the same way as in internal combustion cars. This increases energy efficiency as the heat lost through braking is retained and put to good use. To put this into perspective, the energy efficiency of a conventional car is around 20 per cent, with 80 per cent lost to heat through friction. As Dyson’s move into the electric vehicle sector proves, electric vehicles are becoming extremely accessible. Retaining energy by using water cooled resistors is just one way of improving the energy efficiency, safety, range and battery health of these vehicles, in turn reducing their carbon footprint.


Cressall cressall.com


IP65, IP66 and IP67 standard ABS, polycarbonate and die-cast aluminium sealed enclosures. In-house mod services: • machining • printing • drilling • custom colours


01256 812812 • sales@hammond-electronics.co.ukwww.hammondmfg.com


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