What drives electrification? OEMs share their journeys at roundtable.

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The roundtable discussion on Day 2 of the 2024 Power Progress Summit. The roundtable discussion on Day 2 of the 2024 Power Progress Summit. From L-R: Darren Tasker, Volvo Penta; Mallery Pindar, TICO; Mike Popovich, Gradall; Todd McBride, Rosenbauer. (Photo: Eason Photography)

Volvo Penta has worked with a variety of equipment OEMs on their decarbonization journeys. In 2023, for instance, Gradall introduced an e-excavator concept at ConExpo that was powered by a Volvo Penta electric driveline. A similar electrification solution can also be found on Rosenbauer’s RTX electric fire truck. Additionally, TICO turned to Volvo Penta for their assistance in developing electric terminal tractors.

All four companies took the stage at the 2024 Power Progress Summit for a roundtable discussion about the relationship between OEMs and suppliers on the path to decarbonization.

As Volvo Penta was the common supplier to each of these OEMs for their electrification needs, Darren Tasker, who is vice president of Industrial for Volvo Penta North America, moderated the panel. Participating were Mike Popovich, president of Gradall Industries; Todd McBride, RTX sales and marketing manager for Rosenbauer; and Mallery Pindar, senior director of sales and marketing at TICO.

Following brief introductions by the panelists, Tasker guided the conversation with questions about each company’s decarbonization journey. To kick things off, he asked about the drivers behind the development of the electric machines and the impact customer expectations about sustainability have had on design and production.

Electrification Found Rosenbauer

McBride said the impetus behind Austria-based Rosenbauer’s RTX electric fire truck dates back to 2012.

“There was a directive from our board of directors. It was really to go out and create or design the fire truck in the future.”

Rosenbauer’s ‘fire engine of the future’ featuring the Volvo Penta electric driveline. (Photo: Volvo Penta)

He said that the design team developed a wish list of features for the new vehicle that would make the lives of both firefighters and truck mechanics easier. They then began work on what was originally expected to be a traditional diesel-powered truck.

“The engineers spent almost 18 months in the room, and they were just continuously running into roadblocks,” McBride said. “And they’re trying to figure out, how are they going to make these things happen?”

For instance, they were challenged in accommodating a necessary staircase at the rear of the truck because it would be in the way of the vehicle’s exhaust and other drivetrain components.

“It was really at the 11th hour that one of the engineers said, ‘You know, maybe it’s time we actually look at an electric driveline,’” McBride said. “And everybody laughed at him.”

The team acquiesced, however, and began proving the concept. That’s when they noticed that the earlier roadblocks began to disappear.

“That’s when electrification kind of found us,” McBride said. “We went down that road, and we really haven’t looked back.

Addressing customer expectations, however, did prove to be a challenge for Rosenbauer.

“There’s a saying out there that there’s two things that firefighters hate: one is change, and the second is the way things are,” McBride said. “So, they have a tendency to complain about anything. Really, at the end of the day, our goal is to basically have a fire apparatus that will do everything that its diesel counterpart will, and so far, we’ve succeeded.”

He added that the firefighters at the departments using the RTX are very happy with the trucks and don’t want to go back to traditional trucks.

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All About the Application

In his introduction, Popovich explained that Gradall primarily serves municipalities. Largely driving the development of the Ohio-based company’s EL Series wheeled excavator, then, was customer desire to invest in such a machine.

Gradall looked to Volvo Penta to help electrify one of its excavator models. (Photo: Chad Elmore)

“The zero carbon footprint thing is really big with them, and it’s coming from constituents and everything else,” Popovich said. He added, “We know it’s a driver. We know it’s something they’re interested in. The biggest question is would they be willing to buy an electric vehicle?”

Concerns Gradall customers had about electrified equipment ranged from weight to design compromises that would affect performance.

“At the end of the day, we had to start putting something together to answer the questions, to get it out there, to get people to get their hands on it and try to understand what they think,” Popovich said, adding that Gradall is at that point right now.

Making sure the e-excavator would perform in a manner equivalent to the diesel machines that Gradall’s customers were familiar with was a key part of the design process.

“It’s application-based,” Popovich said. “If you can’t do that application, you have a problem.”

He added that, as with the electrification of many kinds of machines, the design process wasn’t as simple as removing the diesel engine and replacing it with batteries.

“It was build something up, get it working, make sure it did everything it was supposed to do, and start getting feedback.”

Electrification Made Sense

In making the leap to implementing an electric terminal tractor, TICO, which is based in Savannah, Ga., said the vehicle’s unique applications coupled with regulatory hurdles drove the company forward.

TICO’s electric terminal tractor. (Photo: Volvo Penta)

“One thing that we’ve heard loud and clear from our customers is there’s a lot of regulatory pressure, but the terminal tractor is actually a really interesting use case where electrification can really work,” Pindar said.

Pindar went on to describe what makes the terminal tractor unique.

“In our application, about 70 percent of our trucks go into a distribution center,” he said, adding that servicing the vehicles is unique because they do not leave that location.

“What that means, when you go to electrify it, is you can plan charge events on a confined grid and space and schedule. So, it really is a natural fit to electrify a yard truck in a distribution center, because of that predictability. And you’re not worried about range anxiety and all those things.”

Pindar added, “We really did have this perfect storm. As electrifying costs come down, EV just makes more and more sense for a distribution application.”

As far as the the regulatory challenges, Pindar said a key driver in electrifying was emissions. That is because terminal tractors spend much of their working time idling.

However, the regulatory environment in general has an impact on the decisions the company makes regarding electrification.

“In our world, there are a significant amount of carrots,” Pindar said. “Those are kind of going away, and a lot of sticks are emerging from a regulatory standpoint, especially in some major markets that we operate in.”

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