Commercial vehicles are the backbone of the global economy. 80% of overland transport is carried out by commercial vehicles. Each individual truck has an average annual mileage of 150,000 km to keep the flow of goods in the economy flowing. The need for transport will continue to grow. “Without the contribution of the transportation sector, there will be no rapid decarbonization in transport,” emphasized Arnd Franz. The industry must strike a balance between necessary climate protection, global market developments and customer requirements for reliable and affordable transport.
According to forecasts, purely electric trucks with batteries and fuel cell trucks will account for around 30 percent of global production by 2035. This means that the internal combustion engine will remain an essential drive system around the world for the foreseeable future. Battery-electric drive systems will mainly be used in the medium-duty truck segment and in the heavy-duty truck segment on short-haul routes. Fuel cells and combustion engines, powered by either hydrogen or other renewable fuels, capitalize on their advantages on the long haul. MAHLE therefore stands for technological diversity and, with its three strategic fields of electrification, thermal management, and highly efficient sustainable combustion engines, develops the best solutions for every use case worldwide. In this way, the company enables the reduction of the carbon footprint of road freight transport.
The MAHLE SCT electric motor (Superior Continuous Torque) is the endurance champion among electric motors. Its high continuous power and efficiency make it the ideal electric drive for heavy-duty traffic in all-electric trucks and in fuel cell applications. At the IAA Transportation, MAHLE will show a heavy-duty e-axle for the first time, in which two SCT electric motors with a total output of 520 kW as well as the complete liquid management are compactly integrated, demonstrating its systems expertise and the suitability for series production of its innovations.
Together with a fully functional fuel cell, the e-axle, battery cooling and fuel cell peripherals from MAHLE form a technology exhibit. “This demonstrates how we can integrate our technologies, including thermal management, into electric vehicles and thus develop and optimize a wide range of options for different customer applications,” said Dr. Marco Warth, Vice President Corporate Research and Advanced Engineering at MAHLE.
At the international commercial vehicle trade fair “IAA Transportation” in September, the automotive supplier will present its systemic approach to a fuel cell truck: with fuel cell peripherals, thermal management, and a fully functional electric axle with two integrated SCT electric motors. Other world premieres include a new evaporative cooling system and a bionic fan for demanding fuel cell and electric vehicles. “Our products are developed, tested and ready for volume production,” Franz said. The IAA Transportation takes place from 17 to 22 September in Hanover, Germany. The MAHLE stand is located in Hall 12.
