TECHNOLOGY
Battery Independence
Electric vehicles push the energy consumption decision up stream - electricity can come from any number of diverse energy sources with very low price volatility. However, many electric vehicles are designed and tested with only one specific battery system. Your vehicles become just as dependent on one particular battery as your conventional vehicles were on diesel or gasoline. Today, battery technologies are relatively unproven, and newer, better, less expensive batteries are coming out every year. By tying fleets to specific batteries, the energy freedom potential of electric vehicles is reduced. The Motiv ePCS is an electric powertrain that fits on conventional truck chassis and is compatible with all of the leading battery packs on the market, and is compatible with future battery technologies. Only Motiv ePCS-equipped electric vehicles can reduce fleet-wide energy risk.
Quick Payback
As diesel and gasoline prices continue to climb, the fuel savings for electric trucks will become even more attractive. With the Motiv ePCS, total cost of ownership is approximately 50% less than a diesel powertrain over an eight-year period. For a medium size class 4 (~15,000 lb) truck driving about 100 miles/day, savings over this 8 year period could be over $50,000. The operating costs of electric are significantly lower than diesel - at today’s prices the cost of electric per mile is about 1/6th the cost of diesel.
Also, battery prices are coming down! If you are not tied into an outdated battery system, you can upgrade your vehicles in the future and pay even less for batteries. The US Department of Energy expects battery costs to be $300/kWh in 2014. Even at $500/kWh, the Motiv ePCS can have a 3-year payback.
Plug-and-Play Components
Motiv allows truck builders to use field-tested off-the-shelf batteries and motors that can be mixed-and-matched, enabling easier upgrades as battery costs decrease and technology improves. Batteries are typically packaged off-the-shelf from battery manufacturers as smaller packs. These 15 to 30 kWh off-the-shelf packs are the right size to allow a modular powertrain design with battery packs being added for longer ranges or heavier vehicles. Changing batteries or using different batteries on future trucks is a simple software re-configuration of the Motiv ePCS
.
Flexible Powertrain Control
The Motiv ePCS allows builders to build to any fleet spec – different ranges, multiple weight EVs or power output. It also improves vehicle performance and economics. Battery packs can be spread out within the chassis for better weight distribution. The Motiv ePCS actively manages the electric chassis. For example, it can detect a battery pack that is running hot and throttle it down relative to other packs on the vehicle to extend its life.
Secure, Wireless, Real-Time Data
Fleets cannot oil test electric trucks. Motiv’s data-heavy telemetry system diagnoses maintenance problems before they occur by remotely identifying components – batteries and motors, working outside the operating range. The Android based telemetry system logs a huge amount of route data in real time which could improve driver performance and safety management using commercially available software systems.
Documentation
All-Electric Commercial Truck/Shuttle Bus