JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #117 - November/December 2017 - 53

The future of inner-city freight is coming closer

truck

The future of inner-city freight
is coming closer
Just as in the automotive sector, the move to electrically powered trucks and buses
can provide a good opportunity for composite materials. By making a vehicle lighter,
you can either increase the vehicle s range or use a smaller battery an argument
that carries weight!

More information:
www.mantruckandbus.com

MAN's boss Joachim Drees (left) and Felix Kybart,
Head Alternative Drives, in front of the new
e-truck (Copyright MAN)

The eTGS has a 200-km range, covering the needs of inner-city goods transportation (Copyright MAN)

"lt's a matter of the higher price compared to steel"

ike the railway industry, the truck industry is not yet a dedicated user of composite materials. A standard tractor consists mainly of metal - iron and steel - with a
little aluminium and copper. For example, the Renault Trucks T platform contains
77% iron and steel, compared to 7% polyester. Even though carbon or glass fibre could
lower the weight of the trucks and therefore improve their carbon footprint, builders
are still reticent, mainly for economic reasons. "Above all, it's a matter of the higher price
compared to steel. Also, the volumes are nothing like those in a car, and a cab is only replaced
every 15-20 years," explains Sylvain Delaire, a body-in-white engineer at Renault Trucks.
Other things besides the cost price enter into the criteria for choosing between metals
and composites, like crashworthiness, durability, surface finish, etc., and so builders
have more expectations for these elements vis-à-vis their suppliers. "Besides, it is difficult
to integrate a composite manufacturing process into an existing iron-work line or into surface treatments for a hybrid composite/steel body-in-white, without making changes to the
industrial plant," observes Sylvain Delaire. "In the heavy-goods vehicle sector, we are using
thermoset composites of the short-fibre SMC (sheet moulding compound) or RTM type for
structural cab parts, and thermoplastics for body trim."
More information: www.renault-trucks.fr

N°117 November - December 2017

/ jec composites magazine

Feature Land Transportation

t the end of July 2017, MAN launched
the new-generation e-truck geared
to inner-city goods transport. Series
production will start in 2021. The company
is also working on electric buses. As Joachim
Drees, chairman of MAN's board, puts it
into a nutshell: "Electromobility means a
tremendous change to our sector". The key
to electromobility is efficiency. Batteries are
becoming more powerful and achieve higher ranges. Almost noiseless e-trucks can also
be in use at night. The emission-free e-truck
can enter warehouses and be unloaded, thus
saving additional costs. With 350 kilowatts
and 3500 newton metres power and torque,
it is overtaking today's most powerful diesel
engine.

http://www.mantruckandbus.com http://www.renault-trucks.fr

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #117 - November/December 2017