March 20, 2019 Vol. 16 No. 6

We’re seeing an unprecedented bunch of collaborations and partnership these days as trucking technology grows ever more complex and the push for efficiency just gets stronger and stronger. Not to mention more expensive. This phenomenon didn’t start yesterday, of course, but the pace seems to be quickening.

One of the collaborations that makes perfect sense to me is the link between TMC and PIT. They announced this week that the two organizations will be conducting joint research projects on developing a fuel-saving calculator and exploring electromagnetic braking systems. The Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) and the PIT Group first announced last September that they’d formed a strategic partnership to advance innovation in trucking through field testing and truck engineering.

PIT Group will review and validate existing test data that were used to develop TMC’s interactive Drive Cycle Calculator. It’s an interactive mathematical tool that’s used by truck operators to evaluate the potential fuel and economic savings of an aerodynamic device based on test data. PIT will also conduct supplementary testing to obtain results to fill any gaps that exist in the test database.

The partners have also flagged a multi-year study of electromagnetic braking systems as a priority for its collaborative research. The fresh analysis will entail a literature and market review, as well as testing and operational evaluation of electromagnetic brakes. The focus will be on braking performance, maintenance, and inspection of conventional brakes compared to electromagnetic brakes.

PIT Group, a division of Quebec’s FP Innovations, is a neutral, third-party organization that focuses on testing technologies and evaluating operational effectiveness for member fleets. Its four main areas of focus: testing fuel efficiency of technologies using its Energotest; verifying that ELD solutions meet the U.S. and/or Canadian requirements; assessing fleet operations for areas of improvements and research; and testing and developing smart mobility solutions. PIT’s Energotest is recognized in the trucking industry as the gold standard for fuel economy tests and is ISO 17025 certified.

DANA HAS PARTNERED WITH HYLIION, the class 8 electrification company, taking an equity position as a lead investor. Dana becomes Hyliion’s source for traditional driveline components, as well as fully integrated e-Axles – which include motors, inverters, controls, gearboxes, and thermal-management technologies.

Hyliion, founded in 2015, develops intelligent, electric-hybrid architectures that can be installed on new trucks or retrofitted on existing trucks, essentially turning a traditional 6×2 truck into a 6×4 mild hybrid. The Hyliion 6X4HE features the company’s proprietary machine-learning algorithms and battery technology to optimize fuel savings and vehicle performance.