Efficient Drivetrains expands electric plug-in drivetrain to Class 8 trucks
Efficient Drivetrains Inc. (EDI), a producer of high-efficiency zero emissions electric and plug-in drivetrain solutions, announced the expansion of its EDI PowerDrive product family to include a heavy duty offering suitable for Class-8 vehicle applications, the company announced last week.
The new powertrain line — the EDI PowerDrive 8000 will be available in the first half of 2018 in both all-electric and plug-in hybrid form factors (PHEV). The company has received multiple project contracts for both the electric and plug-in hybrid versions of the solution with an initial OEM partner for deployment in mid-2018.
“The heavy-duty trucking industry is experiencing a sea change — largely driven by an urgent need to reduce emissions," said Joerg Ferchau, CEO of EDI. "Worldwide, our most populated cities are experiencing significantly diminished air quality as a result of heavy-duty goods movement. The passenger car industry has experienced a significant change, but heavy-duty trucks continue to represent the largest producers of emissions."
EDI PowerDrive solution portfolio expands into Class-8 heavy-duty vehicle applications.
The announcement builds on its medium-duty EDI PowerDrive 6000 and 7000 series, available on OEM platforms such as Freightliner, Peterbilt, Blue Bird Bus, Shaanxi and Thomas Built Bus. Efficient Drivetrains will be offering its EDI PowerDrive 8000 series as an electrification kit and developer support program for OEMs looking to quickly bring heavy-duty electrified vehicle offerings to market, and comply with impending emissions reductions requirements.
Although heavy-duty applications are the most technically challenging, they are also the highest priority for reducing emissions, and improving air quality today," Ferchau said. "EDI continues to be intently focused on creating practical solutions for today’s vehicle OEMs, so that fleet operators can meet new requirements while being able to maintain their business operations."
The EDI PowerDrive kit offers OEMs a modular design for easy integration into existing chassis designs and enables rapid vehicle solution introductions. Electrification kits will include a high-efficiency drivetrain (EDI PowerDrive), vehicle control and telematics software (EDI PowerSuite), and the training and support infrastructure to enable fast time to market. To speed market introductions, EDI can also install the powertrain systems and perform vehicle integration as a service for OEMs.
Initial solutions will include the 100-plus mile all-electric drivetrain, the EDI PowerDrive 8000EV for zero-emissions short range driving including logistics, port drayage, and freight. The range-extended plug-in hybrid version, EDI PowerDrive 8000 delivers 35-plus miles of electric driving, and a 300-plus mile series-parallel hybrid driving range before refueling is required. Overall, EDI PowerDrive 8000 uses less fuel than other hybrid options available on the market and is well suited for longer haul logistics and freight applications. OEMs can also further customize their vehicle solutions with EDI’s Electric Power Export (EDI Power2E) option—the capability to export a range of power directly from the vehicle for use in disaster recovery, tool operation, and V2G applications.
