HG, a small family-owned Danish OEM, is making a huge impact with its new battery electrical E2000 dumper – pushed by modern in-wheel motors it has what’s regarded as essentially the most the environment friendly articulated drivetrain on the earth. iVT meets the corporate’s CEO, Nikolaj Birkerod, to search out out extra in regards to the firm’s historical past, it’s automobile improvement and the expansion trajectory it’s now on
5 years in the past, Nikolaj Birkerod was working for well-known Danish brewer, Carlsberg with no plans to become involved within the day-to-day operating of his household’s off-highway automobile enterprise. However since then, his private {and professional} life have modified dramatically, not solely is he now the CEO of HG, and on the forefront of growing modern electrical building autos, he’s additionally change into a father, twice.
To say that he’s busy could be one thing of an understatement, “Fortunately at this time, you are able to do rather a lot on-line. In order that helps,” he smiles. However, iVT was fortunate sufficient to satisfy with Bickerod face-to-face for our interview, off the again of April’s Bauma exhibition in Munich.
Birkerod ended up being the plain selection to steer the corporate when market forces prompted the choice to purchase the electrical gear division of HG out of the corporate’s bigger holding construction. His appointment was pushed by each industrial alternative and private motivation. “I might see the chance,” he says. “I wished to proceed the expansion and journey we had been on round electrifying small dumpers.
“Personally, what conjures up me is the potential of making an actual affect, not simply speaking about it. I’m not saying I can fully change the world however, inside our section, inside our sector, we have now confirmed that with our merchandise you possibly can take higher care of the setting, whereas additionally creating higher merchandise in a technical sense. And it’s higher for enterprise as a result of it’s less expensive.”
Constructing on expertise
HG’s roots stretch again 5 many years. The Danish firm initially manufactured agricultural equipment and different farming provides. The enlargement into building gear got here 40 years in the past with the acquisition of an organization that produced mini dumpers amongst different machines.
The household possession construction has confirmed advantageous in HG’s present fast improvement part. “That’s the luxurious of being a family-owned enterprise, the place you’re in control of your self. You don’t want to debate it with a board or an investor group. We will resolve on Monday morning what we’ll do,” says Bickerod. “We make a plan for the week, then we execute it.”
The start of the corporate’s dedication to electrification started in 2017. “Our evaluation confirmed that we might make electrical merchandise that might be higher and cheaper than diesel,” says Bickerod, “So it was a horny selection going ahead.”
The primary electrical automobile HG created was a brand new model of its widespread hand-operated mini dumper. The 1-tonne diesel HG H1000 was reborn because the E1000 Tremendous Skub (a excessive tip counterpart has additionally been launched).
However the electrification course of was not fairly so simple as the engineering workforce may need hoped at the beginning, and a few priceless classes had been discovered alongside the way in which. “First we simply took out the engine, put in a battery and a little bit little bit of cabling, after which we drove across the nook – and it stopped,” says Bickerod. That failure prompted an entire rethink from the workforce. “We stated, ‘Okay, that’s to not going work.’ We wanted to start out another time proper in the beginning.”
In the end the HG E1000 was developed with an electrical battery delivering 2000W of energy to the driving wheels through {an electrical} trans shaft, with hydraulics retained for the machine’s tipping operate.
The totally electrical drivetrain delivered some spectacular effectivity beneficial properties with as much as 12 hours of working time on a single cost, and charging from 20-80% taking simply 90 minutes, whereas 0-100% takes 3.5 hours, on an ordinary EU plug.
“The quantity of power we use working this machine is 50% much less in comparison with related autos in the marketplace. So we’re extra power environment friendly than any of them”
Larger ambitions
Success with the 1-tonne machine led Bickerod, as he took cost, to set the corporate’s websites on an altogether extra formidable mission – to develop a completely electrical, articulated 2-tonne dumper that might be extra environment friendly than any competitor and ship the identical spectacular operating time as its smaller counterpart “We didn’t need any points of individuals operating dry – we need to ensure they’re not fearful about that,” says Bickerod.
The HG workforce knew that to attain such effectivity the teachings in electrical drivetrain structure discovered whereas growing the E1000 must be carried over and constructed upon for the bigger machine. Nonetheless, as the event course of progressed it turned clear {that a} easy electrical trans shaft wouldn’t ship the mandatory efficiency, and so the structure developed innovatively round a decentralised drive with 4 particular person wheel-mounted motors. “Primarily we have now 4 totally different, particular person engines – one in every wheel,” says Bickerod.
The person wheel-motor system creates vital software program challenges that characterize HG’s core technological differentiator. “With 4 particular person wheel engines we have to know the place every wheel is at any given time limit. They should coordinate precisely how they’re turning backward, ahead, at what pace and what drive, and the way a lot present draw we have now contained in the wheel – all of it must be coordinated completely.”
Conventional techniques rely closely on mechanical coordination, however HG’s method calls for software program options for each working situation. “From a coding and software program level, we have to have a solution on each given scenario. It’s worthwhile to know what is going on and what it ought to do to maintain it operating easily,” says Birkerod “It’s like placing 4 individuals in a automotive, and also you inform them at any given time limit what they’re going to do with their particular person wheel to ensure the automotive runs effectively. That provides you some thought of what we’re speaking about right here.”
Additional layers of complexity are added to the in-wheel motor system when totally different driving situations are launched. “How do you coordinate that easily whereas driving in visitors, with or with out load? Within the rain?” asks Birkerod. “It’s a job, and I’d say that’s the place we convey one thing new to the market.”
Testing and improvement
HG’s improvement method has been methodical, starting with in depth testing in Denmark. Following preliminary prototypes in 2020-2021, the corporate constructed 5 check machines for numerous Danish customers in 2022. “We gave the machines to them and requested them to drive them and, principally attempt to kill them, if they may! They gave all types of suggestions and enter.”
Success with the check program led to 25 manufacturing models being deployed throughout Denmark by means of 2023, offering 18 months of operational knowledge earlier than HG started worldwide enlargement. “We wished to maintain it in Denmark as a result of there was no language barrier and we could possibly be at check websites in a short time,” says Bickerod.
The corporate has since expanded deployment to Holland, Switzerland, and Norway, and on the Bauma exhibition in Munich in April the E2000 was formally launched to the worldwide market. “The launch was a long-term plan for us, we at all times deliberate to launch there if we succeed with all our improvement milestones,” says Bickerod.
The milestones had been actually reached and a few even exceeded. The E2000 delivers on the important thing goal of attaining the identical 12 hours of working time loved by the smaller E1000, with 20-80% charging saved to 90 minutes and full 0-100% cost diminished to 2.5 hours, due to an inner 10kW fast-charger.
The brand new automobile delivers exceptional effectivity beneficial properties, main Bickerod to confidently assert that the E2000 had essentially the most environment friendly articulated drivetrain at Bauma, and probably anyplace on the earth. “The quantity of power we use working this machine is 50% much less in comparison with related autos in the marketplace,” he says “So we’re extra power environment friendly than any of them. The place others electrical autos would possibly require you to make use of two machines to allow continuous driving all day, with ours you solely want one.”
This spectacular effectivity results in vital gas financial savings, which imply that, even on essentially the most conservative estimates, the TCO will likely be 10% much less over seven years when in comparison with diesel counterparts. For the smaller E1000 the financial argument is much more compelling with the gas financial savings paying for your entire machine over seven years.
With the intensive improvement course of efficiently accomplished Birkerod is assured he now has two autos that may energy international enlargement. “It’s lots of enjoyable,” he says. “I’m having fun with it much more now, in comparison with two or three years again once we actually didn’t know whether or not we might succeed. However now we all know. Now the journey is totally different. Now it’s about development, which could be very thrilling.”
With a significant manufacturing facility in Poland and a transparent technological benefit in power effectivity, HG is positioning itself as a critical participant within the worldwide electrical building gear market. Whether or not wheel-motor expertise and software program options can scale to problem established producers stays to be seen, however Birkerod’s confidence suggests the corporate is ready for that check.
