What will be the main focus of the industry going forward?
The emission stuff has happened very quickly in relative terms, and the solutions are not optimised, so I think we are going to see quite a lot of activity to now simplify, optimise, reduce cost and improve the actual on-road performance of systems. Euro VI is done but the engineering hasn’t finished yet.
The new agenda is all around CO2 legislation, which is being drafted. The single biggest area to go at to reduce the CO2 footprint is the engine and its efficiency. Recovering waste heat, which isn’t currently done in any significant way, and dedicated heat-harvesting equipment are the next significant developments, certainly for a fluid control supplier like Norgren.
What are the benefits of electric inlet throttles for Euro VI on trucks, and why was it important for Norgren to introduce them?
Historically, while petrol engines have used throttles, diesel engines have not. However, it has become a requirement with the very last stages of emissions control because you need control of the mass flow of air through the engine to make the emissions equipment work. It’s a new application and, being on a truck, needs to be very robust.
There were some other requirements that were quite unique to the truck sector, such as the valves having to do 20 million cycles. They have to work at very high vibration levels, wake up before the engine is started and continue to work after the engine is closed down. We jumped in and won programmes with MAN and Scania.
What work is Norgren doing on advancing aerodynamics?
We have a suspension system for lowering the nose of the vehicle at speed and we have a tyre management system that can inflate and deflate tyres on the move, which is part of the rolling resistance agenda. We are keen to get involved in things like active aerodynamics, but haven’t been asked yet. Static equipment that will be implemented first, and there’s really nothing for us there.
Has the CV market gone as far as it can in terms of reducing emissions?
It’s almost 100 times better than it was ten years ago and is much better than passenger car, marine and aeroplane emissions. I would say trucks have done more than anyone else and have gone as far as is practical. So no, enough is enough, let us try to get some CO2 reduction.
The only other thing that might happen is further hybrid developments. Certainly inner city emissions will remain a target. There are some quite serious initiatives now to electrify trucks with overhead pantographs. So, electrifying city vehicles and some main highway routes could be the only sensible way to further reduce emissions.
Do you think the CV industry will change much in the future?
Urbanisation is continuing to happen, with more megacities and concentrated inner city deliveries. I think that will lead to more automated city logistics; more electric and hybrids, and, possibly, larger inner city delivery vehicles will be allowed.
What challenges will the fluid control industry face in the next ten years?
Natural gas is a very significant challenge. It could be that a third of the world’s trucks are actually converted to gas in 15 years, so that’s a huge undertaking.
Heat recovery as a general theme is something which is going to be taken seriously now because you can effect a 5% fuel saving and there’s nothing else that can make that sort of step.
We’re still seeing restructuring of the big players. The Volkswagen Group has acquired a controlling interest in Scania and we see Volvo acquiring Asian interests and becoming the world’s largest vehicle maker. So for some of the smaller players, it’s going to become increasingly difficult.
I think some safety legislation could become quite onerous around driver fatigue, for example. In North America, the driver base is just disappearing and the skill levels of drivers are also poor, so that needs addressing.
There’s also a fear that half the trucks in the world will be made in Asia. They’re becoming more and more sophisticated, and some Asian suppliers will become quite a threat to established players in the US and Europe.
What is the benefit of using natural gas in the CV sector?
Cost. It also has inherently cleaner emissions, so you can reduce equipment on the vehicle.
…and the negatives?
As it’s an infrastructural challenge, the vehicle range can become limited and there are some new maintenance and safety issues. But the general availability of the fuel and the fact that it burns more cleanly are very persuasive.
Could you explain your vision for an air/gas hybrid CV?
In general, the use of liquefying air as a method of storage is becoming accepted. There are conditions that make it economically viable, but if those conditions are right, it’s an effective alternative to hydroelectric, batteries or other powertrains.
The next step could see an air/gas combination engine become an ideal, and thermally neutral, power source on a vehicle. While there are a few hurdles to overcome, Ricardo has confirmed the science works, and it has some extraordinary advantages.
In my job, I probably have some hare-brained idea for a new type of engine presented to me every year, and nine out of ten of them are rubbish. This is the first one in a decade which has actually stood up. The only killer I can see is whether the liquid nitrogen or liquid air infrastructure would remain economically available. However, assuming we do want to continue to liquefy air in the future, then there’s no reason why the science wouldn’t work.
Have you put a timeframe on that?
A seven year horizon has been set, and it probably will take that long for the industry to move and develop.
What do you think the CV industry will look like in 2020?
More gas, heat recovery, bigger trucks, and integrated systems on the vehicle. We’ll see the engine, emissions and heat recovery equipment becoming much more deeply integrated. We’ll see the chassis, tyres, gearbox, and engine being matched real time. We’ll see telemetry systems in the vehicle connected to the powertrain, competition from Asia, and further hybridisation in cities.
I don’t think we’ll see much further activity in basic soot and NOX reduction, and I don’t think we’ll see significant changes in the basic configuration of diesel use. There will be a general migration towards automated and semi-automated transmissions, and we’ll see more rolling resistance and air resistance technologies, aerodynamics and smart tyres.
Rachael Hogg
