Electric transmission for eco-friendly utility vehicles
2021 is declared the year of science and technology in Russia. August is dedicated to climate and environmental issues - the most significant topic for the whole world in recent years. Eco-friendly cleaning equipment that creates a comfortable environment for life is essential on the streets of cities. Specialists from the South Ural State University (SUSU) help to develop such equipment. Formerly, they created vacuum cleaning equipment for large class machines, and now they are resolving technical problems of introducing electric transmission into municipal vehicles.
A recent stage in the development of wheeled transport is the transition to electric drive. It is at present used in passenger cars, trucks and public transport and small individual wheeled vehicles: bicycles, electric scooters and unicycle. The next logical step, experts believe, is the withdrawal of municipal and road vehicles with electric transmission to the streets.
South Ural State University began work on a line of such equipment together with the Kurgan Plant of Road Machines JSC and Kurgan State University. The project to develop environmentally friendly universal communal machines of a small class with the use of a traction drive for all-season maintenance and cleaning of urban areas and the possibility of using various attachments will be implemented as part of the world-class Ural REC. The key feature of the technology obtains the introduction of an electric transmission. It is being developed by representatives of the SUSU Computer Engineering Center.
"Jointly with Kurgandormash, we completed the pre-design part, launched the concept of a modern machine, determined the technical requirements and stages of work. Modeling, calculation and design of the traction drive itself, equipment electric drives and related systems remain, in addition, our task. We use the existing layout and technical solutions to design new small-class machines that are as close as possible in characteristics to the already functioning analogs on a diesel engine," said Sergei Taran, director of the SUSU Computer Engineering Center.
The rejection of the diesel engine will improve the traction characteristics of cars, reduce noise during operation and reduce the amount of emission. Such a request presently exists from city administrations that purchase municipal equipment.
According to Sergei Taran, the development of an electric transmission for municipal vehicles will allow in the future to use various options for "green" fuel, for example, hydrogen cells. When used up, hydrogen turns into water. The entire transport sector will strive for this level of environmental friendliness. It is planned that a line of compact class cars should be promoted in three years.
Provided by South Ural State University
