Researchers Develop New Transmission for Commercial EVs

University of Kassel researchers have developed a new transmission for commercial electric vehicles that could help carmakers manufacture electric cars geared for the delivery sector. The German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) provided $1.9 million in funding for the project with the Kassel-based Daimler Truck facility and the University of Kassel focusing on the project’s execution.

Although several automakers are already manufacturing electric delivery vehicles, the University of Kassel posits that automakers have had a difficult time introducing EVs to the delivery sector as there are no electric cars that are technically suited for the role. Existing electric delivery vehicles tend to be exorbitantly expensive, feature small batteries, and work best with specific driving profiles.

As a result, a fleet with electric vehicles can have significant operating costs due to high energy-related expenses, not to mention the expenses associated with regular maintenance and repair. The additional costs involved in operating commercial electric cars make many fleet owners and managers reluctant to electrify their fleets. Given the relatively little demand for commercial electric cars, the costs incurred as carmakers seek in-house solutions often aren’t worth it.

The new transmission could potentially fill this market gap and help carmakers design electric cars specifically for commercial use at a manageable cost. University of Kassel researchers teamed up with German firm Daimler Truck AG to create a new transmission that could make investing in electric delivery vehicles more financially rewarding for carmakers.

Daimler Truck AG notes that fitting car drives into commercial cars isn’t a feasible solution as this configuration’s elevated speed and torque results in higher energy consumption. Furthermore, the increased weight and volume raise energy consumption even further.

Dubbed Scale-E-Drive (Scaling effects through modular drive architectures for commercial vehicles), the research project built a two-speed gearbox and developed a new operating strategy to alleviate the cost and energy consumption issue. The researchers’ goal was to increase energy efficiency and lower commercial costs by facilitating the development of affordable and lightweight electric drives.

According to a statement from the university, the research can be scaled up to lower development risks and costs significantly. Electric vehicles for fleets represent the transport sector’s greatest opportunity for electrification. Fleet companies and large retailers like Amazon that own delivery fleets typically don’t have the budgetary constraints that limit individual drivers.

However, despite the size of their budgets, fleet owners and managers strive to lower their costs as much as possible without impacting their service delivery. This means electric delivery vans and trucks will have to be much more energy-efficient and affordable if they are to replace internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in delivery fleets.

If this new transmission is commercialized, its market success could spur an acceleration in the overall EV industry and other automakers like Nikola Corporation (NASDAQ: NKLA) could also see an uptick in the traction of their clean energy vehicle models.

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