The energy-efficient battery-electric drive system with a modular design serves various truck types and business models with different application scenarios.

The first variants of the battery-electric etrofit drive system for series production will already be available in spring 2022. By 2024, a total of more than 1,000 electrification kits are to be installed in converted and new vehicles. The etrofit kit will also be made available to bodybuilders and OEMs as a Tier 1 solution so that it can be integrated into new vehicle developments or existing vehicle series, enabling them to offer their customers emission-free new vehicles without high in-house development costs. pepper expects to sell over 20,000 units in the truck sector by 2030, including over 6,000 units as Tier 1 kits for vehicle manufacturers in various European markets.

As a manufacturer and developer, pepper electrifies its customers' own vehicles, provides conversion companies and OEMs with complete etrofit kits and also provides end customers with fully converted vehicles. The kit contains all the components required for a conversion or a new vehicle body. Modular and fully secured complete packages are offered, from the battery, electrical machine and ancillary components to the control unit with system software developed in accordance with ISO26262 for functional safety and the interface to the (existing) vehicle.

The technological core of the drive systems is the company's own system architecture software. The battery capacity of the electric drive system can be scaled upwards from the smallest version with 120 kWh to 240, 360 or over 700 kWh net, depending on the application scenario.

Electrification solutions from pepper are generally intended for trucks over 7.5 tons. The first conversion solutions for the Mercedes Actros and Atego models will be available from spring 2022. Vehicle models from MAN and IVECO will also be electrified in series from 2023. "In principle, the electrification of any vehicle model is possible," explains Robert Reisenauer, Head of Sales and Marketing at pepper motion GmbH. "As soon as customers want to convert a new vehicle model for us in relevant quantities, we estimate a development time of twelve months until the project is ready for series production." If products are available in series production, they can be delivered within five months of the order being placed.

"As early as the planning phase, it is immensely important to focus on the quality aspect of the solutions on offer," says Reisenauer. "To ensure the safe and reliable use of vehicles, the catalog of criteria with minimum standards initiated by the BMVI provides helpful support for decision-making. Our electrification solutions for commercial vehicles provide fleet operators with an important tool for designing an emission-free vehicle fleet and sustainable climate protection."

Background

With its focus on converting trucks over 7.5 tons, developer and manufacturer pepper motion GmbH put its first battery-electric truck for distribution transport of up to 26 tons on the road at the beginning of May 2021. The pre-series vehicle, which is currently undergoing practical testing in cooperation with Austrian company Herbert Temmel GmbH Spedition und Logistik, provides information on the use and reliability of the vehicle during long-term testing in real customer operations. The pre-series vehicle with road approval is currently being used to validate the design in customer use and gain valuable insights for further development for series production.