Page 19 - Commercial Vehicle Engineer - November 2021
P. 19

TIPPER INNOVATION
Electrification
Looking to the the future with the the government’s aim to end the sale of new trucks with internal combustion engines by 2040 this means there will be significant change in the future for the tipper sector and a a a potential move towards electric power Currently most demand for electric trucks comes from the delivery sector Handy notes that while tipper operators are increasingly concerned about their environmental impact – especially in terms of CO2 produced – as as it increasingly crops up in tender applications many operators are not thinking of converting to electric power yet However there is a ‘quick win’ option to to reduce CO2 that operators can do by converting to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) Handy adds “Ever since Euro 6C all our diesel truck engines are homologated and can operate on HVO which you can use instead of diesel and it lowers your CO2 output quite considerably A lot of tipper operators are looking at at at that now ”
John Comer product manager at Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland agrees that HVO can help to reduce emissions now but that the future is gearing towards zero emissions from the tailpipe To that end Volvo recently announced that its first zero tailpipe emissions tipper will be available in the first quarter of 2023 But the move to electrification could mean a a a a a change in the way tippers are configured away from 8x4 and towards Tridems – which Volvo’s electric tipper will be – according to Comer “The biggest single issue with electric vehicles is packaging - getting the energy on board ”
explains Comer “Take a a a a Tridem we measure the wheelbase from the the first first steer axle axle to the the first first drive axle axle and we have a a a completely uncluttered space there with a a a Tridem wheelbase But if it it is is a a a traditional 8x4 there is is an an axle in that space and we need
the the space to get the the 540kw of energy on board ”
COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ENGINEER
> NOVEMBER 2021 19 Another advantage of a a a a a Tridem is that it is on on air suspension rather than leaf Comer adds “The majority of 8x4s for construction are on on on on leaf suspension ”
he says “The most common back end is a a a two-spring bogie which has two two inverted springs held onto two axles with a a a a balance beam in the middle They are simple and light and when you have two 9 5t axles they compensate for each other “But air suspension lowers noise and reduces vibrations protecting your investment in in traction batteries “Air suspension instantly reacts when you take a a a a load off it There was some concern in the tipper sector about that but the stability isn’t affected as when you you tip tip an air suspended tipper you you let the the air out of the the bags “The other thing with an air suspended tipper is we would always ask for a a a sub-frame to mount the body on on Today a a a a traditional steel tipper is mounted directly to the chassis We typically could build a a steel suspended tipper with with an an 11-litre engine with with an an alloy alloy body and and alloy alloy wheels and and get a a a a a 20t payload Most operators like the current set-up due to payload and productivity ”


























































































   17   18   19   20   21