沃爾沃在ACT Expo 2024上首次公開自動(dòng)駕駛卡車VNL Autonomous,并宣布電動(dòng)挖掘機(jī)EC230上市。
沃爾沃在2024年拉斯維加斯先進(jìn)清潔運(yùn)輸博覽會(huì)(ACT Expo)上發(fā)布了幾項(xiàng)重要公告,并重申了到2040年實(shí)現(xiàn)凈零排放,以及卡車和非道路機(jī)械100%停用化石燃料的目標(biāo)。
沃爾沃卡車北美總裁Peter Voorhoeve表示,“電動(dòng)卡車在推動(dòng)可持續(xù)未來(lái)方面起著重要作用,但僅靠電動(dòng)卡車是遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不夠的,我們還要關(guān)注運(yùn)輸領(lǐng)域的各個(gè)方面。推動(dòng)可持續(xù)未來(lái)沒(méi)有單一解決方案,我們必須采用電動(dòng)傳動(dòng)系、氫燃料電池、內(nèi)燃機(jī)等多種技術(shù),以多管齊下的方式實(shí)現(xiàn)零排放卡車。”
沃爾沃計(jì)劃通過(guò)采用純電動(dòng)車、可再生柴油和其他非化石燃料來(lái)實(shí)現(xiàn)其脫碳目標(biāo)。Voorhoeve表示,“我們將與Westport合作研發(fā)液體生物燃料或氫燃料發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī),以履行我們的可持續(xù)發(fā)展承諾。”
此外,沃爾沃還通過(guò)給新出廠的卡車加注可再生柴油燃料來(lái)降低碳排放。Voorhoeve表示,“我們的工廠不再使用化石柴油,而是改用氫化植物油(HVO)。換言之,我們將每年使用的110萬(wàn)加侖傳統(tǒng)柴油替換為等量的HVO,這直接使工廠的二氧化碳排放量減少了85%左右。”
沃爾沃自動(dòng)駕駛解決方案在ACT展上公布了即將付諸生產(chǎn)的首款自動(dòng)駕駛卡車VNL Autonomous。該卡車采用Aurora Innovation公司的Aurora Driver自動(dòng)駕駛系統(tǒng),并由沃爾沃和Aurora的工程團(tuán)隊(duì)共同集成并打造為SAE L4級(jí)自動(dòng)駕駛系統(tǒng)。VNL Autonomous將在位于維吉尼亞州都柏林的沃爾沃新河谷(NRV)工廠進(jìn)行組裝。
沃爾沃自動(dòng)駕駛解決方案總裁Nils Jaeger表示,“VNL Autonomous是在我們的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化全球自動(dòng)駕駛技術(shù)平臺(tái)上打造的首款車型,未來(lái)我們將會(huì)推出更多車型,并為沃爾沃集團(tuán)旗下所有卡車品牌配備自動(dòng)駕駛功能。”
Aurora Driver由人工智能軟件、雙計(jì)算機(jī)、探測(cè)范圍超過(guò)400米(1300英尺)的專有激光雷達(dá)傳感器、高分辨率攝像頭、成像雷達(dá)和其他傳感器組成。沃爾沃表示,VNL Autonomous基于平臺(tái)的研發(fā)策略能夠讓公司將其自主研發(fā)的虛擬駕駛系統(tǒng)用于卡車及限制性應(yīng)用機(jī)械。
沃爾沃自動(dòng)駕駛解決方案首席產(chǎn)品官Shahrukh Kazmi表示,“我們首先將安全置于首位,從零開始構(gòu)建沃爾沃VNL Autonomous,通過(guò)配置多個(gè)高可靠性冗余系統(tǒng)來(lái)減少潛在的緊急情況。我們并將這些冗余系統(tǒng)整合在其中,以確保對(duì)所有安全關(guān)鍵組件都進(jìn)行了主動(dòng)復(fù)制。”
沃爾沃卡車還在ACT展上宣布推出按需供應(yīng)項(xiàng)目(Volvo on Demand)。該項(xiàng)目旨在通過(guò)推廣卡車即服務(wù)(TaaS,Truck-as-a-Service)商業(yè)模式,以提高電動(dòng)卡車的普及率。
沃爾沃服務(wù)與解決方案副總裁Charles Carter表示,“通過(guò)該項(xiàng)目,客戶無(wú)需進(jìn)行大量前期投資即可將純電動(dòng)卡車輕松編入車隊(duì),以測(cè)試純電動(dòng)卡車技術(shù)并了解運(yùn)營(yíng)電動(dòng)車隊(duì)所需的條件。”
該項(xiàng)目將提供25輛8級(jí)沃爾沃VNR電動(dòng)卡車,其中包括20輛六電池配置6x4牽引車和5輛四電池配置4x2牽引車。據(jù)報(bào)道,客戶可以靈活選擇項(xiàng)目期限,最短為12個(gè)月。
沃爾沃卡車區(qū)域副總裁Jared Ruiz表示,“目前,一些客戶已經(jīng)成功部署了VNR電動(dòng)卡車,而且正在尋求擴(kuò)大運(yùn)營(yíng)規(guī)模。許多客戶表示有意向?qū)NR電動(dòng)卡車納入其運(yùn)營(yíng)車隊(duì)中,但他們想先了解該車在其具體應(yīng)用中的適用性。”
目前,共有57家客戶正在實(shí)際運(yùn)營(yíng)中使用470輛沃爾沃VNR電動(dòng)卡車。Voorhoeve表示,“電動(dòng)和燃油卡車都是運(yùn)輸工具,我們希望沃爾沃純電動(dòng)卡車的正常運(yùn)行時(shí)間能達(dá)到95%。”
沃爾沃可持續(xù)發(fā)展和生產(chǎn)力服務(wù)副總裁Ray Gallant介紹了沃爾沃建筑設(shè)備(Volvo CE)在可持續(xù)發(fā)展方面取得的最新進(jìn)展,以及采用電動(dòng)挖掘機(jī)的多個(gè)試點(diǎn)項(xiàng)目的成果。Gallant表示,“隨著電氣化轉(zhuǎn)型步入正軌,非道路領(lǐng)域也面臨著千載難逢的機(jī)遇。通過(guò)與道路領(lǐng)域的同事合作,我們極大地加快了電氣化轉(zhuǎn)型的速度。”
Gallant還簡(jiǎn)要介紹了Volvo CE的電動(dòng)產(chǎn)品推廣總體策略。
他指出,“可持續(xù)性目標(biāo)不是一蹴而就的,而是需要在產(chǎn)品的整個(gè)生命周期中不斷提升。為此,必須采取三個(gè)關(guān)鍵步驟。首先,必須證明,新設(shè)備和可持續(xù)能源系統(tǒng)的性能與之前的水平相當(dāng),或者更加出色。如果無(wú)法做到這一點(diǎn),就很難說(shuō)服客戶改用新設(shè)備。”
“此外,作為OEM,我們有責(zé)任證明并確保新型可持續(xù)能源系統(tǒng)的充電(補(bǔ)能)基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施可及性,無(wú)論該能源是電動(dòng)、氫能,還是替代燃料。我們必須確保客戶的設(shè)備能夠及時(shí)充電(補(bǔ)能)并持續(xù)運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)。最后,也是最重要的一步。在我們證明了產(chǎn)品性能和充電或補(bǔ)能設(shè)施的可及性之后,就可以與客戶合作探索可持續(xù)設(shè)備比現(xiàn)有設(shè)備表現(xiàn)更為出色的新應(yīng)用領(lǐng)域。”
2019年,沃爾沃推出了首批純電動(dòng)非道路機(jī)械(包括3臺(tái)小型挖掘機(jī)和2臺(tái)小型緊湊型裝載機(jī)),這些機(jī)械于2021年首次在美國(guó)市場(chǎng)上市。在2024年ACT展的新聞發(fā)布會(huì)上,沃爾沃宣布配備兩個(gè)新充電裝置的EC230電動(dòng)挖掘機(jī)在北美上市。EC230重達(dá)23噸,創(chuàng)下了電動(dòng)挖掘機(jī)的新紀(jì)錄。據(jù)悉,目前市場(chǎng)上的大多數(shù)純電動(dòng)挖掘機(jī)都是小型挖掘機(jī)。
沃爾沃已在洛杉磯、斯德哥爾摩和不列顛哥倫比亞等多個(gè)地區(qū)開展了多個(gè)EC230試點(diǎn)項(xiàng)目,涉及多個(gè)應(yīng)用領(lǐng)域。據(jù)報(bào)道,試點(diǎn)項(xiàng)目參與方之一的佛羅里達(dá)州海岸廢物回收公司(Coastal Waste & Recycling)利用一輛EC230每小時(shí)處理多達(dá)100噸施工、拆遷渣土和綠色垃圾。EC230上午工作,中午充電,下午繼續(xù)工作,因此該公司每天可用它進(jìn)行8小時(shí)作業(yè)。
Gallant指出,“該項(xiàng)目證明,盡管EC230在生產(chǎn)過(guò)程中的碳足跡高于柴油挖掘機(jī),但僅在使用800小時(shí)后,它節(jié)省的燃料和降低的碳排放就抵消了生產(chǎn)過(guò)程中的碳足跡。此外,成本方面也同樣重要。因?yàn)槿绻粋€(gè)解決方案只能減少排放而不具有經(jīng)濟(jì)效益,它就無(wú)法迅速推廣。”
Volvo CE還宣布與Portable Electric和Utility Innovation Group (UIG) 在充電產(chǎn)品領(lǐng)域開展合作。Volvo CE將分別與這兩家公司合作研發(fā)用于緊湊型設(shè)備的2級(jí)便攜式充電裝置和高功率直流便攜式充電裝置。這些充電裝置與EC230一起在ACT展上進(jìn)行展出。
Gallant指出,“電動(dòng)機(jī)械最顯著的優(yōu)勢(shì)是可以減少排放和大幅降低噪聲和振動(dòng),這些設(shè)備在注重這些方面的多種應(yīng)用領(lǐng)域均表現(xiàn)出色。與早期用戶的合作,已經(jīng)讓我們開發(fā)出許多獨(dú)特的應(yīng)用場(chǎng)景和解決方案。”
Volvo made several key announcements at the 2024 ACT Expo in Las Vegas. The company also reaffirmed its goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions with a 100% fossil-free fleet of trucks and off-highway machines by 2040.
“The sustainable future is not only about electric trucks, though they do play a very important role,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “It’s about all the things that we transport. For a sustainable future, there is not one silver bullet. We will have different technologies that all enable zero-emissions trucks. This will include electric drivelines, hydrogen fuel cells, and internal combustion engines.”
Volvo’s plan to decarbonize will involve BEVs as well as renewable diesel and other fossil-free fuels. “One partnership with Westport demonstrates this commitment to sustainability,” Voorhoeve said. “Together with Westport, we will develop engines that will be able to burn liquid biofuel or hydrogen.”
Volvo is also reducing its own carbon footprint by filling trucks with renewable diesel fuel as they come off the factory line. “We don’t use [fossil] diesel at our factories anymore,” Voorhoeve said. “We use HVO. By doing this, we will, on a yearly basis, move from 1.1-million gallons of traditional diesel to 1.1-million gallons of HVO. This has an immediate impact on the CO2 output of our factory by about 85%.”
Autonomy announced
Volvo Autonomous Solutions unveiled its first production-ready autonomous truck, the VNL Autonomous, at ACT Expo. The truck features the Aurora Driver system from Aurora Innovation. Volvo and Aurora’s engineering teams collaborated to integrate the system and create an SAE level four automated system. The Volvo VNL Autonomous will be assembled at Volvo's New River Valley (NRV) plant in Dublin, Virginia.
"This truck is the first of our standardized global autonomous technology platform, which will enable us to introduce additional models in the future, bringing autonomy to all Volvo Group truck brands,” said Nils Jaeger, president of Volvo Autonomous Solutions.
The Aurora Driver consists of Al software, dual computers, proprietary Iidar sensors that can detect objects more than 400 meters (1,300 ft.) away, high-resolution cameras, imaging radar and additional sensors. Volvo states that the platform-based design approach of the VNL Autonomous will enable the use of its in-house developed virtual driver for trucks and machines working within confined applications.
"Our platform engineering approach prioritizes safety by incorporating high-assurance redundancy systems designed to mitigate potential emergency situations," said Shahrukh Kazmi, chief product officer at Volvo Autonomous Solutions. "We built the Volvo VNL Autonomous from the ground up, integrating these redundancy systems to ensure that every safety-critical component is intentionally duplicated.”
Now on demand
Volvo Trucks also announced Volvo on Demand at ACT Expo, an initiative that provides a Truck-as-a-Service (TaaS) business model to increase the adoption rate of electrified trucks.
“Volvo on Demand is the easiest way for customers to add a battery-electric truck to their fleet by providing the ability to test the technology and understand the requirements to operate an electric fleet without a substantial upfront investment,” said Charles Carter, vice president, services and solutions.
The program will use 25 Class 8 Volvo VNR Electric trucks, including 20 6x4 tractors with the six-battery configuration and five 4x2 tractors with the four-battery configuration. The program will reportedly provide customers with flexible term options as short as 12 months.
“Today, we have customers who’ve successfully deployed the VNR Electric and are continuing to seek ways to scale their operations,” said Jared Ruiz, regional VP of Volvo Trucks. “We have a number of customers who have expressed interest in adding the VNR Electric to their operation but want to understand how it will fit within their specific applications.”
Volvo currently has 470 electric VNR trucks on the road with 57 different customers. “An electric truck is the same as an ICE truck in that it is an asset that is meant for transportation, which is why we want to have an uptime of 95% for our battery-electric trucks,” Voorhoeve said.
Electrified excavation
Ray Gallant, VP sustainability and productivity services, provided an update on Volvo CE’s sustainability efforts and the results of several trial programs that the company has run using electric excavators. “It’s an exciting time in the off-road segment as this transformation starts to gain traction,” Gallant said. “Collaborating with our on-road-focused colleagues has helped us accelerate the transition in thoughtful and significant ways.”
Gallant outlined Volvo CE’s broad strategy for gaining adoption of the firm’s electrified offerings.
“You don’t achieve sustainability, you’re always working to be more sustainable throughout the lifecycle of your products,” he said. “There are three key steps to creating that sustainability. First, you have to prove that the new equipment and sustainable power sources will perform at least as well as the machines they’re replacing. If we can’t do that, it’s very hard to convince customers to make the switch to new equipment.
“The second step is that we have to prove and ensure as OEMs that there is a charging infrastructure for these new sustainable power systems, be it electric, hydrogen or alternate fuels. We have to make sure that customers can refuel and run their machines continually. The third is probably most important. Once we have the product and charging or refueling proven, then we can work with our customers to find new applications that the sustainable machines can do better than the ones they’re replacing.”
Volvo introduced its first battery electric off-highway machines (three small excavators and two small compact loaders) in 2019 and first brought them into the U.S. in 2021. During its press conference at ACT Expo this year, Volvo announced that the EC230 electric excavator is now commercially available in North America with two new charging units. The EC230 is a 23-ton unit that represents a new high watermark for electrified excavators. According to Volvo, most electric-only machines currently on the market are compact models.
Volvo has run several pilot programs with the EC230 in locations such as Los Angeles, Stockholm, and British Columbia in a variety of applications. One program participant was Coastal Waste & Recycling in Florida, which reportedly used an EC230 to process up to 100 tons of construction and demolition debris and green waste per hour. The machine was used for a morning shift, charged during lunch and then used again for the afternoon, allowing the company to get eight hours of work from the machine each day.
“This project demonstrated that, even though production of the machine has a higher carbon footprint in comparison to its diesel equivalent, the fuel savings and carbon reduction offset that in just over 800 hours of use,” said Gallant. “The cost savings are just as important because if these solutions don’t make financial sense in addition to the emissions reduction, adoption will lag.”
Volvo CE has also announced two new partnerships on charging products. One with Portable Electric for a Level 2 portable charging unit for compact equipment and the other with Utility Innovation Group (UIG) for high-power DC portable charging. Those units were on display at the show, along with the EC230.
“The most prominent benefits of electric machines are the elimination of emissions and the significant reduction in noise and vibration,” said Gallant. “We are seeing this equipment do well in a wide variety of applications where these benefits are really appreciated. Early adopters have brought us many unique opportunities and solutions.”