One of the most exhilarating aspects of being involved in the commercial vehicle EV space is that we are just scratching the surface of the possibilities that lay ahead.
While SEA Electric’s technology is mature and proven in the field with over 1.5 million miles of real-world use that is backed by telematics data, considering where the future of commercial eMobility technology is heading is exciting.
Everything onboard: electric
It is one thing to provide the market with a specialist commercial grade electric power-system, but the next challenge conquered by SEA Electric has been to fully electrify all ancillary functions of a wide range of vehicles to date.
The SEA-Drive® power-system is highly adaptable to most OEM glider chassis, covering applications from 3.5t to 29t, and in that range is a massive array of final applications.
While the technology is perfectly suited to first mile and last mile delivery use, such as with dry freight, the SEA Electric team have to date successfully integrated many other functions, that have traditionally been powered via the truck’s ICE driveline.
Take for instance refuse – with multiple successful deployments of various sized rear compactor or side loader garbage trucks.
Nobody likes to be woken up by an early morning rubbish pickup, and now with near silent EVs running urban routes, the stop-start brake and transmission squeal of previous trucks is gone.
Integrating refrigeration units to trucks has also been successfully achieved.
Some other major breakthroughs to date have included elevated work platforms, otherwise known as cherry pickers or boom trucks, while tilt trays and dump trucks have also been built to pure-EV spec.
One of the areas where innovation has already shone through is with the innovative design on various new municipal work trucks.
Thinking outside the box, standard power points have been installed on trucks, allowing them to power tools and allowing for recharging in the field, greatly adding to the utility of the vehicles, without sapping the low-voltage batteries.
Taking the power off
In previous internal combustion-powered vehicles, the Power Take Off, or PTO, is typically found on the vehicle’s transmission, which for many applications connects to a hydraulic pump to run various systems.
One of the downsides of this arrangement is that the engine must always be running for the PTO to be operable.
While the SEA-Drive® power-system runs the drive system of a vehicle, it also is the brain behind the energy management needs of ancillaries.
Gone are the PTO-powered belts and pumps of the past, in are independent electrically driven systems.
It’s a major deviation from the norm, but it leads to significant efficiency gains, with energy only deployed when required.
Where next?
The future of eMobility is up to your imagination!
When considering the SEA-Drive® power-system, not only does it run near silently and without fumes, but with its architecture not requiring thermal management, it runs to a low temperature, especially when compared to an ICE vehicle with a hot engine and exhaust system.
So, possibilities exist working with sensitive and hazardous materials.
Traditional truck ancillaries such as pumps, winches, blowers, suckers, compressors, booms and lifts could all be adapted to electric power.
Everyone loves a food truck – now picture one that doesn’t require a noisy and smelly diesel generator, or reliance on burning gas.
Think outside the box truck, commercial EV can get the job done, sustainably.
