1st ICAI 2020

International Conference on Automotive Industry 2020

Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic

Figure 1: Concepts of specialized vehicles for the transport of freight and equipment

Sources a: Volvo (2017), Source b: GM unveils SURUS flexible, autonomous fuel cell platform (2017), Source c: Scania Group (2019), Source d: Ree (n.d.), Source e: Cheng (2018), Source f: Rakkatec ltd (n.d.) 2.1 TUL modular platform for freight and equipment transportation The issue of autonomous utility platforms is solved at the Technical University of Liberec within the project “Modular platform for autonomous chassis of specialized electric vehicles for freight and equipment transportation”. The project is a follow-up of previous emobility project solved by TUL (Jandura and Bukvic, 2013). The whole project consists of four research intentions. Each of the intention focuses on its topic within the utility platforms. First one deals with light structures. The second one solves electric drives and control. Third one focuses on batteries. And fourth is interested in information system and augmented reality. Every research intention is solved by individual activities. The intention of light structures addresses the development of material, structural design and creation of one-piece composite elements. These elements will form the frame of the platform with very high strength and resistance to dynamic loads and ensure resistance to adverse climatic and operating conditions. Second intention proposes the whole drivetrain, which includes electric motors, their control and transmission. Part of this intention is a proposal chassis, axles and steering. Battery intention aims at using the best currently known technologies of electrical energy storage and their adaptation for a specific practical application of utility platforms. Fourth intention solves precise localization of real objects and observers in real time and their projection into a virtual 3D scene. It focuses on proposal advanced methods for tracking real objects, real-time data analysis and their integration into the hybrid scene. 2.1.1 Drivetrain design concept of TUL modular platform In the battery-electric vehicle segment, there are several possibilities for the drivetrain arrangement. We decided to use a concept of four motors – one motor per one wheel. Our vehicle is therefore being developed as an all-wheel drive vehicle. Mainly to remove the need for differentials (three differentials when using single motor drivetrain

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