Anuário da Indústria de Implementos Rodoviários 2020

70 F enatran 2019, held in October in São Paulo, showed that the Brazilian transport sector is not thinking only of the 2020 market or the business of the years immediately following. On the contrary. If immediate results are important – very important! – in times of real mobility revolution it is also vital to ensure the steps of the future. The transport industry is therefore preparing large investments on various fronts, from products and services to high connectivity, from driving aid technologies and alternative fuels to more efficient engines and, above all, to the electrification of diggers and implements. Some of these have already been launched in other countries and others are in development here for national transport. Some are used in truck engines, others inside or outside the cabs – such as cameras in place of the rear view mirrors launched by Mercedes-Benz in Actros – others are in implements and several on computers or smartphones. The main ones, however, are in the field of electrification that, in fact, begins to gain ground on several fronts. Even in highway implements. Randon, for example, introduced the Hybrid R, a semi-trailer designed with an electric auxiliary traction system. In addition to an electric motor installed on the shaft specially designed for the set, it has batteries and an inverter. The entire system is called e-Sys and was developed by Randon engineers, in partnership with Suspensys, an axle manufacturer, and Randon’s Technology Center. “It is the first semi-trailer with this concept in Latin America,” says Sérgio Carvalho, COO of the company’s auto parts division. In practice, the Hybrid R trailer will transport vehicles. Carvalho recalls how often fully-loaded trucks have difficulty going up steep hills. “With the aid of a traction axle in the semitrailer, the truck gets up slopes more effectively and safely.” According to the company, which intends to put the Hybrid R on the market by the end of this year, e-Sys is expected to provide fuel savings of up to 25%, depending on application, weight and road conditions. It also has a Kers regenerative energy system. In braking and deceleration, kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy to recharge the batteries. The main supplier of axles and systems for drivetrains in commercial vehicles in Latin America, Meritor showcased the electric axle 14Xe, the first product developed by the newly created Blue Horizon brand, dedicated to the development of new Meritor technologies worldwide. The 14Xe axle, already in testing in the United States, has a two-speed central electric motor integrated to the differential axis, freeing up space to allocate the battery, inverters and other hardware needed for electric vehicles. The company already supplies electric axles for the Volkswagen e-Delivery light truck and with the model 14Xe will serve the medium segment worldwide, above 16 tons of total gross weight. According to Meritor’s director of sales and marketing, Cleber Assanti, electrification in the near future will be essential for trucks running over short and medium distances. “When electrification becomes a reality in Brazil, we will be ready to meet the demand,” says the executive, noting that the electric axis that it already markets in Brazil has also aroused interest from implement manufacturers. Another company that is preparing for this new moment of road cargo transport is Haldex, the world’s largest manufacturer of brakes for trucks, buses and trailers. At Fenatran, it presented concepts of brakes for open architecture that can be customized for autonomous, semi-autonomous and electric commercial vehicles. One already under test: the Fast Acting Brake Valve, or FABV, a system composed of valves that are installed near the wheels of the vehicle. According to Haldex, in addition to a ten times faster response than conventional systems, it enables greater vehicle stability, up to 15% reduction of stopping distance and change of vehicle direction using only the brakes. Another device, also for the same types of vehicles, is the Electromechanical Disc Brake, which the company says reduces braking distance by 15% compared to current pneumatic brakes. Luiz Stopa, Haldex’s engineering and sales manager, says that although independent, it will be possible to have them in the same vehicle. “With the concept of open architecture and the ability to customize the systems, it is possible to take advantage of all the technology embedded in the vehicle, reduce production costs and offer the market a concept of safety and economy in road transport”, he says. It is good that suppliers and implement makers prepare for electric vehicles. In addition to Volkswagen Trucks, which already produces its first electric truck, other companies are studying vehicles with the technology here. The president of the Volvo Latin America Group, Wilson Lirmann, says he is analyzing the production of electric trucks in Brazil. “There are no decisions yet regarding the date, but it is certain that in the next decade we will have to invest in them here,” he says. Fenatran showcases new products that can be held in the palm of your hand, in trucks and implements, and signal a new era for road freight transport Technology Fair FENATRAN