Investigation of the potential of e-axles for trucks

Sammanfattning: As a step to reduce emissions of trucks, Scania investigates different solutions related to electrification to contribute with more environmental friendly vehicles. The aim of this project is to investigate the potential of electrified axles, e-axles, to use in Scania trucks. Not only from a performance point of view but also from a business and industrialisation point of view. The e-axle is a compact unit which integrates an electric motor, power electronics and transmission. It is used as a power source for the vehicle and it is a more efficient solution for the electric vehicles, eliminating losses and saving space. Through a market analysis, gathering of information and knowledge about electrified solutions for trucks, interviews with Scania staff and product specification five different concept are identified, evaluated and compared. These concepts are the following:   Concept 1- Electric motor within a mechanically driven axle   Concept 2- Electric motors in a non-driven axle   Concept 3- In-wheel motors   Concept 4- Electric motors in a rear support axle   Concept 5- Electric motor in a diesel truck with a generator A concept selection matrix was set-up to find the best solution. In the evaluation of the concepts different CAD models are developed, based on mainly existing models at Scania. The difference between the concepts is based on the different axle possibilities to locate the electric motors. The best two concepts were identified as concept 2 and concept 4. For future work, the two best concepts should be used for a deeper study, obtaining a final design layout and realising an structure analysis of them to verify the designs. The market analysis shows that there will be a market for the product, but it will require an extensive design and development phase. This thesis sets the ground for the development of a new product towards the electrification of trucks.