Recently, Cifa has presented the full-electric pump by Energya, first in the concrete sector, which is based on electrification, automation and connectivity. In Energya concrete mixers the rotation functions of the drum are operated by the electric motor that receives energy from a lithium battery and, in case of need, it can receive it also from the motor of the diesel truck.
Moreover, Energya models can be also mounted on gas or electric trucks, for a 100% green vehicle. The K42E truck-mounted pump completes Cifaâs eco-sustainable range, aimed at zeroing Co2Â emissions and the acoustic pollution in the whole chain, from the transport to the laying of the concrete, expanding the use possibilities of vehicles in areas and yards with restrictions. Energya K42E is a powerful truck-mounted pump able to operate in full electric, without uncompromised performances.
K42E is equipped with a forefront system that exploits the power of the 30 ampere-hour battery pack, to power two electric Rexroth motors: the first that operates the hydraulic pump to move the arm and to open stabilizers and the second instead dedicated to the drive of the pumping group (with 160 mc/h closed circuit at 80 bars) and of other services.
In case the work needed a higher performance of the available charge, the new Energya pump can be directly connected to an electric socket in the site: the system will exclude batteries, directly powering electric motors.
Building industry, the new electric Cifa pump in the yard
Scooter, from thermal to electric with Talet-e
Talet-e is the Italian start-up that has ideated, designed and manufactured the Universal Electric Platform Talet-e (PEU-T). It is an innovative electric motor studied for a user-friendly installation on all typologies of thermal scooters in circulation, from 50 to 400 cubic centimetres, irrespective of the brand.
What innovative does it involves? Besides, from the bureaucratic and legislative point of view, the shift is simpler: the Italian Ministry of Infrastructures and sustainable mobility has extended the possibility of carrying out the retrofit to the L category, actually permitting to transform the thermal propulsion into thermal and then to proceed to the re-homologation of the vehicle, with an updated circulation document.
The batteries, one fixed and one portable, 1.5 kW each, are designed to support 3,000 recharge cycles and at full charge their complete autonomy is estimated in about 140 kilometres of travel.
How much does it cost? About 2,000 Euros, plus the assembly that costs about 200 euros depending on the vehicle. The availability on the market is expected since Spring 2023.
Ahera, the Italian top level electric, is coming
In the great turmoil of the electric market, a new brand is arriving in Italy. It is AHERA, specialized in the production of high-end electric cars. The first car to be launched will be an electric SUV provided with forefront technology, with short overhangs and a spacious interior, available starting from 2025. The preview images has been recently released, just four months after the companyâs launch.
Filippo Perini, Head of Design of AEHRA, declared: «AEHRA was born with the target of expressing, as never before, all design potentialities that the forefront technology of electric vehicles today offers. The first SUV model by AEHRA matches the unequalled elegance of the Italian design with the best of global materials and engineering, to bring about a paradigm shift in the customer experience».
While its SUV featuring emotional design, provided with a higher aerodynamic efficiency, has been unveiled, we have to wait until February 2023 for AEHRA electric sedan.
Pelikan, electric boat that cleans seas
A green energy boat, which in its turn cleans the environment. This an-plein of sustainability is called Pelikan and it has been ideated by Garbage Group, which for years has worked at ecological port, maritime and terrestrial services.
The boat is a fully electric hull, 7-metre long, powered by photovoltaic panels and designed to collect any kind of floating waste by means of two claws that can be opened at bow and of drones, submarine rows and probes that search for wastes.
What are the technical characteristics? Overall length: 10.90 mt, Beam width: 2.48 mt, Immersion: 1.11 mt and displacement of 9 tons. Motors are Volvo-Penta Kw132 hp180, the maximum speed is 9 Kn and the maximum capacity of liquids is equal to 930 lt. The boat will be recharged by Enel X Way infrastructures, the company of Enel Group dedicated to electric mobility.
The manufacturer is programming to build one thousand boats in the next five years, in a lapse of time in which sector players, but not only, hope that the excellence of the Italian green navigation will be increasingly affirmed.
Upgrading and digitalizing the motor fleet to save energy
Digitalization and automation technologies will be integral part of the efficient management of the whole industrial sector. ABB top player has been a pioneer in this field for decades and it has recently launched a series of digital services connected with the Internet of Things (IoT) for the efficiency of motors, generators and drives.
The concept? Collecting data from processes and equipment to identify possible improvements, so decreasing the companyâs energy costs and, consequently, emissions.
Removing the gearbox from the equipment set-up and replacing its functions with a modern, fit-for-purpose alternative coupled directly to the paper machine has proven to be practical and efficient. A gearbox suffers from energy losses during mechanical movements, which means higher energy consumption. When the drive is directly attached to the production machine using the permanent magnet technology, energy consumption is reduced.
The main advantage of this direct drive access is that it is gearless. When there are no gears, the motor speeds are lower. This way, a much longer service life can also be expected from the bearings. In ABB motors these last up to 200,000 hours or approximately 23 years in operation. The system is reliable right from the start and remains this way throughout its lifecycle, reducing electricity consumption and reaching high horsepower at low voltage.
Actually, a gearless direct drive motor system, such as those available from ABB, bring benefits and savings to the user, particularly when it becomes a âconnected driveâ through digital solutions. These direct drive systems are based on a permanent magnet motor and connect directly to the production equipment
without a gearbox. ABB has developed and delivered this technology to a multitude of pulp and paper mills around the world and several advantages have been identified from seeing direct drive systems in action.
Monarch electric tractor is coming
The partnership between Monarch Tractor and Foxconn will allow the mass-production of electric tractors.
Foxconn is a Taiwanese company of electric and electronic components for OEM worldwide and at the end of 2021 it bought the startup of electric vehicles Lordstown Motors, the factory in Ohio, which was previously owned by General Motors. It is a hub that will become a benchmark for the manufacturing of electric vehicles because they will produce the Endurance pickup and a model by Fisker.
Here, the commercial production of the MK-V series of Monarch electric tractor will start in the first 2023-quarter. The tractor, which starts from the base price of 58,000 dollars, is with autonomous guide, motor with 70 kW of peak and it is especially suitable for operating in vineyards and orchards, with an autonomy of over 10 hours.
The fast battery replacement allows 24 hours/a day operation and the recharge at 240 V 80 A takes 4-5 hours. The tractor will be able to lift over 1 ton and to tow 3.5 tons.
Tested the full electric container ship
In China, they carried out the test whose protagonist is âJiangyuan Lilyâ, a full electric container ship, designed by Wuhan Changjiang Ship Design Institute for Jiangsu Ocean Shipping, complying with the navigation standards of the Channel of Sunan.
The 120 TEU ship has a length of 79.9 metres and a width of 12.7.
In total, there are three mobile power supplies, each with 1540KW/h power, for 4620KW/h overall, and the endurance is up to 220km.
The result? The ship has smartly passed the tests in water through speed, torsional vibration, rotation, stopping, course stability, noise and reliability tests of electric systems.
According to the shipyard, the container ship âhas exceeded design expectations and regulation requisites. The test was a total successâ.
A full-electric hypercar incoming from China
Able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 1.9 seconds due to its 1,225-horsepower motor and 12,000 Nm of maximum torque, GAC Aion Hyper SSR is a full-electric hypercar, the first arrived from China. Its price starts from 183,000 Euros.
GAC Aion Hyper SSR is equipped with an electrically driven spoiler that exceeds a certain speed and increases the grip when necessary. The carbon fibre diffuser in the rear part to generate pressure is another element that improves the performance in curves.
Guangzhou Auto Corporation âGACâ is the fifth Chinese automotive company and GAC Aion is the Groupâs brand focused on electric vehicles.
Audi, electric under test at Morocco rally
Absolute first in the race for the evolution of the innovative electric protype with range extender. Audi RS Q e-tron E2 is in fact engaged in Morocco Rally, with all official Audi Sport crews, for which very challenging conditions are expected: high temperatures, dunes, rocky stretches and fast tracks on compact ground.
The car is equipped with three electric powertrains: two MGU (Motor Generator Unit), one close to each axle, perform traction, whereas a third unit acts as generator to share in the recharge of the high-voltage battery.
Arnau Niubó Bosch, project leader track operations explained «The programme provided for nine days of test, so that each crew could test the car for three days. The main targets were two: developing the car in view of Dakar and making drivers and navigators become acquainted with the novelties introduced by the E2 evolutionary step. The car lightening, in fact, opens new opportunities for the trim and suspension setting. We are going towards the correct direction, to the extent that the electric traction discharges power to the ground more smoothly than in the past».
The car seems to differ notably from the past: the overall lightening allows opting for a less hard calibration of shock absorbers, to full benefit of comfort.
The first full electric Volta Zero trucks has been manufactured
Volta Zero vehicle, manufactured in the Austrian production plant at Steyr, is the first milestone of a series of second-generation prototypes aimed at the âManufacturing Assessmentâ that will be part of a pilot fleet of trucks created by Volta Trucks, manufacturer of full-electric vehicles. The playerâs mission is revolutionizing the last-mile logistics, developing safer and more sustainable full-electric trucks to protect the most vulnerable road users and to improve the environment of urban centres, to benefit of all. Trucks will be on loan to customers in Paris and London for long periods at the end of 2022 and at the beginning of 2023, to let fleet managers understand how the first average-tonnage truck, purposely conceived as full-electric, will be integrated into their activities. The start of the mass-production of vehicles manufactured according to customersâ specifications is scheduled at the beginning of 2023.
Steyr Automotive has dedicated to Volta Trucks, inside its total production, a capacity of 14,000 vehicles yearly. In time, the manufacturing of Volta Zero will create 510 workplaces, in addition to 1,800 for the construction of cargo boxes and to the around 2,000 engagements planned in the supply chain.