Posted on 09/14/2017 6:40:25 AM PDT by Red Badger
The Aeos, ready to haul. ========================================================================================================================
Cummins -- you know, the company that makes the diesels that go in all the really serious big boy pickup trucks, among other no-nonsense equipment -- is apparently looking ahead to a non-oil-burning future. Or at least a future where big rigs have a range of powertrain options, including electric: The company has just unveiled its all-electric AEOS tractor-trailer prototype.
Aeos, named after one of the fiery immortal steeds of the sun god Helios (cool!) is a fully functional Class 7 truck -- only instead of a 12.0-liter internal combustion engine, the prototype gets a 140 kWh battery pack. With trailer, it has a gross vehicle weight rating limit of 75,000 pounds; range, per Cummins, is 100 miles. Extra batteries could push that to 300 miles, but it’s clearly not ready for transcontinental runs -- stop-and-go city hauling is what this thing is designed for.
In addition to the EV powertrain, the Aeos gets a number of efficiency-oriented features, like a drag-reducing streamlined body and underbody, cameras instead of rearview mirrors (a concept car favorite) and a rooftop solar panel, which is a nice touch but can’t possibly do much to improve range. Cummins’ specialty is powertrains, though, not truck design, so it’d presumably be on a dedicated rig-builder to incorporate them into their designs.
ecall that Tesla is also on the verge of rolling out its own electric semi -- in the wake of the Cummins’ unveil, there’s been a fair amount of buzz about how the Indiana-based powertrain company was quicker on the draw than the Silicon Valley outfit. We’ll note that the two companies’ aims are slightly different, though: Tesla’s focus seems to be on trucks that are autonomous, at least for a good chunk of their drive route, which is a good fit for long-haul trucking. The Aeos is aimed at shorter, more complicated urban routes, which even the most bullish of pro-autonomy advocates expect to remain the domain of human drivers for the foreseeable future.
Cummins hasn't announced a production version of its Aeos prototype; it seems destined to be a test bed/publicity-generator for the time being. But if a company that has built its reputation on turning hydrocarbons into torque is getting serious about EVs, that's really saying something.
Diesel to be replaced?...............
Where are the mounting brackets for the CB?
At Radio Shack.....................
Not at the price per KWH I pay....
So, it’s good for one trip from one side of Jacksonville FL to the other and back. Then, you have a very expensive business asset on the charger for hours. They need to build it like a forklift with changeable batteries to be commercially viable.
Wouldn’t CNG be a more economical source of power for a truck like this?
Coal and nuclear powered, because our electric grid is not powered by rainbows and unicorn farts.
>>Wouldn’t CNG be a more economical source of power for a truck like this?
Of course it would. Economical and clean. But, the Left wants us in short range golf carts so they can jet around the world in Gulfstreams.
“Disruptive” electric tractors might end up hauling heavy trucks in the opposite direction
Yep. a lot of people don’t know how to follow that extension cord to the origination point do they?
“The Aeos, ready to haul”
for a minute
Seems kind of big for a city truck.
Big rig manufacturers have been experimenting with alternative power for decades. They just don’t sell without a government mandate like the western port authorities natural gas regulations.
Electric power in US comes from:
(1) Coal burning
(2) Oil burning
(3) Nat gas burning
(4) Nuclear
(5) Wind
(6) Solar
First 3 create CO2, the 4th creates nuclear waste lasting decades. 5th has killed more technicians than other options from falling off turbine towers. 6th is useless during nights which are long in winter further north you go.
Eggsactly! Ask those Floridians with Volts, Leafs, Tesla, etc. just how agonizingly terrible bugging out in them turned out for them. Most barely made it mid way through the state as they sat in traffic.....draining their range down.
And finally, nobody pushing EV’s wants to talk about how expensive batteries are to replace.
Haulin’ Aeoss!........................
Are the instructions in Spanish?
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