Using electrified hydraulics has many advantages – even in diesel-powered mobile machinery and vehicles. Opting for a vehicle with electrified hydraulics streamlines work and substantially reduces energy consumption, as the combustion engine no longer needs to generate energy that is ultimately wasted.
The inefficiency of traditional hydraulics powered by the vehicle’s combustion engine has long been known. Machines with this form of hydraulics experience significant energy losses because their hydraulic systems use a diesel-powered oil pump to create pressure and flow, resulting in large amounts of wasted energy.
The diesel engine constantly generates energy, which, when not used in active movements, is wasted. In a traditional system with a central pump, the pressure created needs to be high enough to satisfy the largest consumer in the hydraulic system, causing all other consumers to work at a higher pressure than necessary.
Fossil-fuelled hydraulics is in many ways an inefficient and outdated system that may soon be outcompeted by newer and smarter solutions.
But many tend to overlook this inefficiency because it's easy, and has so far been relatively cheap, to simply add more diesel to compensate, says Emil Vestman, project manager at Regal Components.
Electrified hydraulics save large amounts of energy
In a vehicle with electrified hydraulics, the hydraulics are powered by efficient electric motors and an intelligent control system. The system can be optimally designed and even divided into several subsystems, where each subsystem is only activated when the work requires it. Otherwise, the system is completely passive, eliminating unnecessary waste.
In a hybrid system, the control system can ensure that the combustion engine is completely turned off when the power requirement is low. This can result in significant savings in machines such as excavators and telehandlers, where studies have shown that the machines spend an average of 40% of the operating time idling, resulting in up to 17% of total fuel consumption being wasted.
These are solutions that significantly improve the efficiency of the hydraulic system.
With an electrified machine, you save large amounts of energy, and you get a proactive system instead of a reactive one. An electrified system reads and analyses what the driver wants to do, and then does it. It's one step ahead. When you make the sustainable choice, you save both money and energy and gain a lot of intelligence in the process, says Emil Vestman, project manager at Regal Components.
Electrifying the hydraulics significantly reduces the machine’s energy consumption and reduces or eliminates dependence on harmful energy sources. These are two good reasons to make the smart choice and opt out of diesel-powered hydraulics.
Another important reason is to create a sustainable working environment for oneself, one’s own staff, and for everyone moving around a mobile machinery or vehicle – especially when work is carried out in an urban environment.
The working environment is significantly improved with electrified hydraulics. Lower levels of harmful particles are released, and the noise level is reduced for a large part of the work both inside and outside the vehicle.
Regal Components creates sustainability through smart solutions
The development of more sustainable mobile machinery using smart solutions has come a long way in recent years. Even if one cannot switch to a completely emission-free electric machine today, there are hybrid solutions that reduce the threshold for users to switch from diesel to fossil-free fuels.
These smart solutions are now available among wheel loaders and excavators, but many other industries are also electrifying mobile machines through hybrid solutions, such as in the forestry and agricultural industries.
Regal is one of the companies that has long been involved in leading the development of sustainable solutions through smart systems. For them, electrifying the hydraulics has been an obvious solution to create ways of working that consume less energy.
Sustainability requirements are increasing
Even though there is currently no law requiring a transition to fossil-free mobile machines, the opportunities to use vehicles with combustion engines are decreasing in many assignments.
More and more clients are now insisting that work is carried out with fossil-free mobile machines, especially in the public sector. Swedish companies and public authorities such as Trafikverket, Skanska, and Vattenfall, for example, have established their own guidelines for themselves and their suppliers.
Sweden’s three largest cities are also working together to develop new sustainability standards, and in addition, each city has its own unique requirements to promote sustainability.
The City of Stockholm, for example, has decided that there must be access to fossil-free diesel for mobile machinery during the expansion of Norra Djurgårdsstaden. New sustainability requirements also exist for the development project in Slakthusområdet. It has been decided that the project should be completely free from fossil fuels, making it Sweden’s most comprehensive fossil-free workplace.
Electrified hydraulics is a safe step towards sustainability
Choosing an electrified mobile machinery or vehicle can be a big decision, and something many shy away from. But instead of a complete transition to electrified vehicles, smart hybrid technology like electrified hydraulics can be a balanced step forward.
The initial cost of a hybrid vehicle is not as high as for a fully electrified vehicle, the infrastructure for battery charging is not as crucial, and there is no risk of so-called range anxiety to the same extent.
Hybrid vehicles, and especially electrified hydraulics, can be a smooth and safe transition to a greener operation.
Emil Vestman, Project Manager, Regal Components
At Regal, we have more than 30 years of experience with electrification in various forms. We offer both fully electric drive systems and various hybrid solutions for mobile machines and vehicles. We help each manufacturer to identify the right solution and the right combination of electrical components for their particular machine.
