Another EU-funded HECTOR project demo vehicle goes into operation, with German waste management company, AGR.
SLIEDRECHT, The Netherlands – The Abfallentsorgungs-Gesellschaft Ruhrgebiet mbH (AGR), a waste management company in Herten, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, has put a DAF CF 340 hydrogen fuel cell conversion truck into operation as part of the EU-funded HECTOR (Hydrogen Waste Collection Vehicles in North West Europe) project.
The aim of the project, which involves seven European trials in total, is to investigate how hydrogen-fuelled trucks can be an effective solution in reducing emissions in refuse vehicles. In February 2022 and also under the HECTOR initiative, Aberdeen City Council unveiled the UK’s first refuse collection vehicle (RCV) – a Mercedes-Benz Econic with a 250 kW Hyzon electric motor coupled to an Allison 3000 Series™ transmission in conjunction with a 45 kW fuel cell.
Before the demo vehicle – a DAF CF 340 front loader with a Millennium XXL 40 body from Terberg HS – could be used to collect commercial waste, a conversion from standard diesel propulsion to hydrogen was required. This was carried out by E-Trucks Europe, a specialist manufacturer of hydrogen-electric commercial vehicles based in Belgium, in collaboration with Wietholt, a DAF authorised dealer in Dorsten, Germany. Wietholt is also a service partner of Allison Transmission.
In order to convert the diesel truck to hydrogen propulsion, the vehicle had to be completely gutted. Almost the entire original powertrain – the engine, fuel tanks and exhaust system – was removed from the DAF truck. Only the Allison 3200™ fully automatic transmission was retained as an integral part of the drive concept.
The Allison 3200 fully automatic 6-speed transmission, already developed for use in refuse collection vehicles in addition to other applications, was optimised by application engineers from Allison and E-Trucks Europe to meet the requirements of the DAF fuel cell truck. Allison’s Continuous Power Technology™ provides smooth, uninterrupted power shifts and faster acceleration. The patented torque converter multiplies the engine torque during start-up and acceleration. Furthermore, it protects the entire powertrain from vibrations and jolts during gear changes. The precise crawling speed and precision tuning facilitate the collection of rubbish bins in narrow alleyways, as well as working at extremely low speeds.
A fuel cell module was installed in the former engine compartment of the vehicle. The diesel tanks were dismantled and replaced with battery packs that power an electric motor coupled to the Allison transmission with hydrogen energy. The four hydrogen tanks on the roof of the vehicle have a capacity of 20 kgs, enough for a range of around 200 kms (around 124 miles). Refuelling at 350 bar takes just under 15 minutes.
The 28 ton front loader, 6 x 2 with steered trailing axle, is operated by one person to collect commercial waste from companies in the Ruhr Metropolis region. In addition to the new hydrogen-powered refuse collection vehicle, 15 hydrogen cars are already in use at AGR. The procurement of further climate-friendly trucks with hydrogen engines is planned. AGR is currently planning to build its own hydrogen production facility and high-performance filling station, which will be suitable for both municipal H2 refuse vehicles and private H2 cars.
“This particular kind of propulsion is ideal for use in the waste disposal sector due to its climate protection potential. And it once again demonstrates that Allison transmissions can be used with all types of fuel,” said Stephan Marker, Area Sales Manager at Allison Transmission. “Allison Automatics are known for their pairings with diesel engines. Yet they are equally well-suited to alternative-fuel and alternative-power vehicles.”
Allison Transmission launched its eGen Power™ range of electric axles for trucks last year. It is one of the most powerful and fully integrated e-Axle systems in the world for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Since then, Allison has continued to add to its portfolio of e-Axles with models that support a variety of vehicle weight rating requirements and various applications. To learn more about the eGen Power portfolio, visit https://www.allisontransmission.com/ev-solutions/egen-power.
June 1st 2022
Image – © AGR Abfallentsorgungs-Gesellschaft Ruhrgebiet mbH. AGR hydrogen-powered DAF CF 340 front loader with Millennium XXL 40 body from Terberg HS and Allison fully automatic transmission during trial operation.
Image – © AGR Abfallentsorgungs-Gesellschaft Ruhrgebiet mbH. Hydrogen-powered AGR truck at the H2 service station ‘Auf Ewald’.
Image – © Allison Transmission. Allison Transmission’s 3200 fully automatic transmission was designed for refuse collection vehicles, among other applications, and has been optimized by Allison and E-Trucks application engineers to meet the requirements of the DAF fuel cell truck.
Image – © Allison Transmission. The patented Allison torque converter multiplies engine torque during start-up and acceleration and protects the entire powertrain from vibrations and jolts during gear changes.
About the Hector Project
HECTOR is the acronym for Hydrogen Waste Collection Vehicles in North West Europe. The project trials the use of hydrogen-powered collection vehicles at seven pilot sites in North West Europe: Aberdeen (Scotland), Groningen (The Netherlands), Arnhem (The Netherlands), Duisburg, Herten (Germany), Touraine Vallee de l’Indre (France) and Brussels (Belgium). HECTOR is to show that refuse collection vehicles with hydrogen power are an effective solution to reduce emissions from road freight transportation. The vehicles operate in different environments: some of the trucks run in city centres, others in rural areas, some collect household waste at scheduled times, others commercial waste with flexible schedules. AGR’s front loader, for example, collects commercial waste. Other vehicles in the project also feature Allison transmissions, such as a refuse collection vehicle from Aberdeen City Council that is based on a Mercedes-Benz Econic chassis.
Aberdeen City Council is coordinating the project and the INTERREG North-West Europe program is supporting it with a grant totalling 5.5 million euros.
For more information, go to:
About AGR
AGR Abfallentsorgungs-Gesellschaft Ruhrgebiet mbH (AGR) has a staff of around 950 working in the following five sectors: recycling and logistics, thermal treatment, landfill management, environmental services and secondary raw materials. AGR contributes significantly to waste management security in the region and generates electricity, steam and district heating as well as secondary raw materials from waste management activities. Since 1982, AGR has been operating the RZR Herten, a thermal waste treatment plant. The energy generated from this plant is used to supply the equivalent of over 80,000 households with electricity each year. It also supplies 25,000 households with environmentally friendly heating.
About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is a leading designer and manufacturer of vehicle propulsion solutions for commercial and defense vehicles and the largest global manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions that Improve the Way the World Works. Allison products are used in a wide variety of applications, including on-highway trucks (distribution, refuse, construction, fire and emergency), buses (school, transit and coach), motorhomes, off-highway vehicles and equipment (energy, mining and construction applications) and defense vehicles (tactical wheeled and tracked). Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. With a presence in more than 150 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil, manufacturing facilities in the USA, Hungary and India, as well as global engineering resources, including electrification engineering centers in Indianapolis, Indiana, Auburn Hills, Michigan and London in the United Kingdom. Allison also has more than 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.