Covering Disruptive Technology Powering Business in The Digital Age

Authored By: Hwee Yng Yeo, Electric Vehicle Solutions Manager – Keysight Technologies

Smokey tailpipe emissions may soon be a thing of the past. That is if the heavy transport vehicle market catches up with the electric car market to lower their contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Private sedans and light-duty trucks lead the vehicle electrification race. But that leaves much upside opportunity for heavy transport fleets such as trucks and buses to catch up.

In the United States, data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reveals that while overall greenhouse gas emissions from passenger cars and light-duty trucks declined over the past decade, medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses still chugged out well over 200 teragrams of C0₂ over the same period (see figure 1).

Figure 1. U.S. greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2020 by land transport type.
Note: 1 Teragram = 1 million metric tons. (Data source: Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and 1990–2020 [EPA 2022]

In Europe, the transportation industry must urgently decarbonise its trucks and buses to achieve the Paris Agreement target of keeping global warming below 2°C. Although these two heavy road vehicles represent only 2% of vehicles on the road, they emit a quarter of all transport-related greenhouse gases. That is according to a study by the nonprofit research organisation International Council on Clean Transportation.

These data points bode well for automakers who are investing in electrifying their heavy transport vehicle models to tap into the electric truck market growth. Worth only USD $2.4 billion in 2022, this market is expected to surpass USD $15.6 billion by 2030, says a Precedence Research report.

While China takes the lead with the highest number of electric truck registrations globally. And it is supported by a strong EV battery manufacturing industry. Even so, other regions are rapidly stepping up their learning curves.

Longer Range, Faster Charging, V2G-Enabled

One of the biggest challenges in electrifying heavy vehicles is extending the driving range per hourly charge. Unlike designing passenger sedans, engineers working on the next electric truck model must ensure the battery has enough electric power to ferry heavy loads over longer distances. They also need to factor in fast-charging capabilities and future-proof these electrified fleets for a vital vehicle-to-grid (V2G) role, where EV batteries can serve as mobile power banks on wheels.

Meeting the needs for longer range, faster charging and future-ready V2G capabilities starts at the battery cell chemistry level. Depending on the battery performance specifications, cell developers need to analyse how each electrochemical cocktail will perform (see examples in figure 2).

Figure 2. Different battery cell chemical compositions yield different properties and performance. (Source: Battery University)

The Different Form Factors

EV battery cells come in different form factors: cylindrical, pouch and prismatic. These cells are connected to form modules and packs. An electric truck can have as many as 20,000 to 30,000 cylindrical cells organised into huge battery packs. In such case, each pack weighs as much as a grand piano.

The different cell chemistries come with trade-offs in weight, capacity, performance, fast-charging capability, packaging and recyclability. Some battery types require different battery management and thermal management systems. This may add cost and specific packaging requirements to the heavy vehicle. It is in this scenario where testing at the battery module and pack levels is essential to ensure these heavy-duty electric fleets perform as expected, especially on long-haul journeys.

Enabling Better, More Efficient Battery Technology

It is common for electrified heavy vehicles to use battery packs of 800 V and higher. Developing such powerful battery solutions can be costly due to energy consumption, cooling costs and safety considerations.

This is where regenerative power and new wide bandgap (WBG) power semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC) chips enable more efficient battery testing technology. These WBG power devices reduce switching and conduction losses, improving thermal management. Coupled with regenerative technology, the battery testing process can now recycle as much as 96% of the energy used in testing back to the grid instead of losing it as dissipated heat, which will incur immense air-conditioning cooling costs.

In the foreseeable future, electric transport fleets with high-capacity battery packs will play a key role in enabling the V2G vision. These battery packs can alleviate concerns of insufficient battery energy storage systems as more renewable energy supplies from wind and solar connected to the grid. The batteries can store excess energy generated by renewable energy sources and sink the electricity back to the power grid during peak power utilisation periods.

The electrification of heavy vehicle fleets holds much potential to contribute to a cleaner transportation future while helping to lower carbon emissions. Keysight is committed to helping automakers and battery manufacturers with their design and testing needs.

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