Powertrain | Diesel International 2022-11

EVENTS
#FPTINDUSTRIAL #MICROVAST #AMAZON #ENELX #PLUS
PARTNERSHIP ARE KEY
Of the thick web of partnerships spun by the Iveco Group,
some are well-known such as the ones with con Nikola Motor
and Eni. We tackled the one with Blue Energy Motors and
we mentioned the cooperation with the Hyundai Motor
Company. But it’s worth remembering a few other names,
starting with Iveco Driver Pal, stemming from the partnership
with Amazon Web Services. We’re talking – it’s appropriate
to say – with a pioneering voice-activated travel buddy that
allows the driver to interact with the vehicle as well as with
other drivers through Amazon Alexa’s voice commands. The
partnership with Microvast reached a turning point in January
2022, with the announced creation of a full battery pack for
the low-floor Crossway for city and intercity transport. This
battery pack is going to provide the Crossway LE with up
to ten years of battery life. In late March 2022, the Group
signed a memorandum of understanding with Enel X exploring
opportunities to reap the full potential of electric mobility
for European commercial vechicles. With Plus – a leader in
self-driving transport vehicles – Iveco signed a memorandum
of understanding to jointly develop self-driving commercial
vehicles incorporating into the S-Way the whole vanguard
PlusDrive self-driving system.
different. In developing countries, the
power-to-weight ratio for diesel is
still much lower than in Europe and
North America. You must also take
driver comfort into account; India is
very different than Europe and North
America, where driver comfort standards
are much higher.”
Is the rush to electrification going to
bring production standards closer
to truck drivers’ needs?
“Batteries are batteries,” Bhuwalka
rightly points out, “you can fit them
indifferently on a European, American
or Indian truck. I think electrification
is going to help standardize
processes, because batteries are getting
the same on all markets, with the
only difference being that you need at
least 700 kW in Europe, while India
has lower power requirements. The
same applies to powertrains, they’re
also becoming standardized. The only
difference will still be cab size, it’ll be
more ‘entry-level’ on the Indian market.”
Lastly, a few side comments on the
N67 NG agreement on LNG trucks.
“Gas in India has been available for
quite some time now. So the change is
going to be about the introduction of
LNG. Basically, I think gas availability
won’t be an issue for us. Considering
gas supplies in the light of the current
geopolitical picture, one can see that
historically Europe has been getting
its gas through pipelines, while India
can secure very low prices, as we’re
not dependent on any pipeline. The
convergence of government policies,
the availability of infrastructures and
other factors needed to successfully
switch to gas all play in our favour. I
think it is only a matter of time, LNG
holds great potential for the years to
come and it will turn tables.”
What’s beyond NEF?
“For tractors in the 46 to 55 tonnes
range, the 6.7 L by FPT Industrial is
the ideal engine, a perfect combo of
right size, torque and power ratio. Indeed,
this engine must generate positive
running costs as compared to
diesel.”
Will it become a retrofit?
“We’re pioneering the use of liquified
natural gas in India, so we still have
to build a market for it. As time goes
by and as LNG is spreading, we’ll
also bring in aftermarket solutions.
This is going to be stage two of our
integration plans, we’re currently still
at stage one.”
The cooperation between Iveco and
Htwo – Hyundai Motor Group’s hydrogen
brand – completes this heavy
vehicle overview. With the well-proven
fuel-cell technology used on Hyundai
hydrogen vehicles, Htwo is expanding
the range of manufacturers it supplies
this system to. A note says Iveco Bus
is submitting applications to European
call for tenders on fuel-cell powered
buses using Htwo technology. Furthermore,
the recently announced plans to
relaunch bus production in Italy will
provide a further opportunity to manufacture
buses powered by Htwo fuel-cell
technology.
Domenico Nucera, President Bus
Business Unit at Iveco Group, said:
“Thanks to our partnership with a
leader in the industry such as Htwo,
boasting over 20 years of experience
in Hyundai’s hydrogen fuel-cell technology,
Iveco Bus can respond quickly
to our customers’ demand for zero
emission vehicles to be powered by
vanguard propulsion technology. We
started applying for public tenders on
hydrogen-fuelled buses and we’ll keep
going in the months to come, while we
also keep being at the forefront of energy
transition in the European mass
transportation sector.” Nucera adds a
few more comments on Iveco Group’s
choice to restart bus production in Italy.
Which provides him with a chance
to emphasize the Group’s internal synergy:
“Buses will be assembled in Foggia
(South Italy, editor’s note), where
we also have an engine production
plant”. That’s right where F1 engines
are produced and where smallest units
for mobile industrial applications are
also bound to take root. “ In the years
to come starting from next year, we expect
to reach a production of over 3
thousand low and zero emission buses.
If the market responds well, we’ll keep
producing 1 thousand units a year,”
he pointed out. “New lines at the Foggia
plant will also produce the most
advanced generation of battery electric
buses. I am very glad to say that
the R&D activities and production of
such batteries will take place here in
Turin, alongside the production of cutting-edge
methane, biomethane, diesel
and biodiesel engines,” he added,
specifying that “FPT will be in charge
of production”.
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