Research: The electric and hybrid commercial vehicles report (3rd edition)

Date published: Monday, October 03, 2011

Tags: Commercial Vehicles, Electric Vehicles / EVs / PEVs / BEVs, Electric Vehicles, Hybrids / HEVs / PHEVs, Powertrain.

Description

The markets for both electric and hybrid commercial vehicles are now established, albeit in niche market volumes. Hybrid-electric buses and light-duty trucks have been available for some years and are now gathering market momentum but remain a long way short of the market penetration seen by hybrid cars, which was estimated at around 0.7% of the global new light vehicle market in 2010. Electric trucks and buses are now just entering the market, as are hybrid hydraulic trucks.

The interest in commercial electric and hybrid vehicles, as is the case for their light vehicle counterparts, is driven by the volatility of petroleum fuel costs, efforts to improve energy security, concerns about both toxic and greenhouse emissions and an associated range of incentives that are now in place at national, state and local government levels. However, the barriers to mass-market uptake are numerous and significant. Although various incentive schemes can assist, the capital costs of the new technologies are high and, in some cases, fuel savings have not so far adequately off-set increased capital and operating costs. Furthermore, the electric-only operating range of electric and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles remains a concern for consumers and the necessary recharging infrastructure is only in the early stages of development.

Nevertheless, there are now many commercial electric and hybrid vehicles available in the market and the intense levels of research, development and investment in enabling technology and new vehicle production will no doubt result in many more during the next few years.

Enabling technology
Types of hybrid drivetrain
Parallel hybrids
  Series hybrids
  Series-parallel split hybrids
  Plug-in hybrids
  Hydraulic hybrids
  Kinetic hybrids
Batteries
  Lead-acid
  Sodium nickel halide
  Nickel metal hydride (NiMH)
  Lithium
  Super iron
  Redox
  Carbon nanotube
  Nickel hydrogen
  Magnesium
  Super-capacitors
  Dual systems
Electric motors
Integrated starter generators
Regenerative braking
Transmissions
Electronic components
Electrically-driven ancillaries
Brakes
Supplier systems
  Electric
  Hybrid-electric
  Hybrid-hydraulic
Retrofit systems
  Electric
  Hybrid-electric
  Hybrid-hydraulic

Electric commercial vehicles
Vans
  Micro-vans
  Car-derived vans
  Light- and medium-duty vans
Trucks
  Micro-trucks
  Pick-ups
  Light-duty trucks
  Medium- and heavy-duty trucks
Buses

Hybrid-electric commercial vehicles
Light commercial vehicles
Medium- and heavy-duty trucks
Buses

Hybrid-hydraulic commercial vehicles

Kinetic hybrid commercial vehicles

Research: The electric and hybrid commercial vehicles report (3rd edition)

Description

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