At this year’s international commercial vehicle show, Mahle is showcasing a complete system for a fuel cell truck with fuel cell peripherals, thermal management, and a fully functional heavy-duty electric axle. Other products include a high-performance, fuel-saving evaporative cooling system for demanding fuel cell and electric vehicles as well as a bionic fan that makes an electric truck considerably quieter at full load or during rapid charging by halving the sound pressure level, according to Mahle.

Systemic approach for a fuel cell truck

At Hanover, Mahle says it is showcasing its systemic approach to a fuel cell truck with fuel cell peripherals, thermal management, and a fully functional heavy-duty electric axle to visualize the interaction and interdependencies between individual product groups.

Heavy-duty electric axle with SCT electric motors and liquid management

Mahle says it has fully integrated two SCT electric motors with liquid management systems (without external piping and tubes) in the heavy-duty electric axle. The SCT (Superior Continuous Torque) electric motor has a continuous output of 480 kW and an efficiency of 92%. With the electric axle, Mahle says it can deliver 35,000 Nm of torque to the wheels. A 35-ton fuel cell truck could therefore cross the Brenner pass from Innsbruck to Bolzano with a time saving of 3.5 minutes, or 10% faster, than a diesel truck, Mahle says.

Evaporative cooling

The newly developed evaporative cooling system that Mahle is presenting uses the cooling effect of evaporating water. Water is sprayed onto the coolant cooler via a grating, ensuring optimum temperature control for the fuel cell, Mahle says. There is up to 50 kW more cooling performance in the same installation space, and the fan rating can be reduced: For a 300 kW fuel cell truck this results in a smaller fan motor and additional propulsion power of 25 kW or plus 8%.

Bionic high-performance fan

To reduce loud fan noises of commercial vehicles that may create a nuisance under full load or during recharging at night in residential areas or at rest areas, Mahle says it has developed a bionic fan, adding that the engineers took the feathers of an owl, one of the most silently-flying birds, as their model.

As a result, Mahle says the fan noises of a truck are reduced by up to 4 dB(A) – more than halving the sound pressure level; the truck receives a 10% efficiency improvement; a 10% weight reduction; and a rating range from 300 watts to 35 kW.