One EV, a thousand functions
- Industrial automobiles, that are required in 1000’s of various varieties, are sometimes constructed below a mannequin during which OEMs present a fundamental chassis, and upfitters add the specialised our bodies and tools. This mannequin has existed for a few years within the on-road market, however Dannar is now bringing it to the world of off-road tools.
- Electrical off-road tools gives a protracted record of benefits over legacy diesel tools: decrease fueling and upkeep prices; lack of idling; quiet, vibration-free operation; and fewer put on and tear on hydraulic elements.
- Dannar’s automobiles are suitable with 1000’s of attachments made by trusted manufacturers for diesel tools. These could be switched out shortly and simply, so the identical car can serve a couple of utility.
- Dannar’s automobiles may function Cellular Energy Stations, offering charging for different EVs within the area.
Q&A with CEO Gary Dannar
Totally different patrons want (or need) totally different automobiles—that’s why most client automakers supply a variety of a dozen or so fashions, from sensible household vehicles to glossy sports activities vehicles to hulking pickup vans. However within the business car sphere, this wouldn’t be ok—totally different markets demand not dozens of various car varieties, however 1000’s. A few of these automobiles, typically known as vocational vans, are designed for extremely specialised functions (consider a cement mixer, a avenue cleaner or an airport de-icing truck), and it wouldn’t be economically environment friendly for an OEM to supply sufficient devoted fashions to handle all of them. As a substitute, they construct generic chassis/cab combos, and depart it to different firms (known as upfitters) to construct specialised our bodies, a few of them custom-designed for particular clients.
In relation to on-road business automobiles, this has been the mannequin for many years. Nonetheless, within the off-road market, OEMs have a tendency to supply an array of purpose-built automobiles (or tools—the excellence between the 2 is typically fluid). A few of these could be fitted with a wide selection of interchangeable attachments (e.g. a tractor can energy a mower, a loader, a tiller, and so forth.) however others are just about constructed to do one set of jobs (e.g. a loader, a digger or a backhoe).
Electrification gives a chance to deliver a a lot increased diploma of customization to the off-road world, and Dannar, Inc. was based to supply a modular EV platform that may work with many of the attachments that exist already for diesel tools. Now, fleet patrons can profit not solely from the financial savings on gas and upkeep that EVs supply, but in addition from the power to carry out extra duties with the identical powertrain platform—maybe utilizing one car to do a wide range of jobs that might beforehand have required two or extra separate items of apparatus.
Charged spoke with founder and CEO Gary Dannar.
Charged: How a few transient historical past of the corporate and your private background?
Gary Dannar: I began the enterprise 13 years in the past. My background personally has been 35 years in off-road trade tools for world producers. It grew to become clear across the flip of the century that electrification was changing into extra related for business off-road automobiles, and we acknowledged {that a} multipurpose platform was actually what the trade needed. Multipurpose year-round use could be very advantageous to business fleets—agriculture, development, navy, emergency response and extra. So, we began with an idea, went via 4 generations, and right this moment we now have good relationships with suppliers and clients, a backlog of Cellular Energy Station (MPS) orders and several other machines out within the area.
“We’ve made the multipurpose platform in such a approach that we will use all these attachments which can be manufactured by nice firms, that enable fleet homeowners to make use of that machine year-round.”
Charged: Multipurpose means constructing several types of automobiles on the identical platform?
Gary Dannar: Precisely. The platform we began with was an off-road platform that had been within the trade for many years—a 20,000-pound navy forklift platform utilizing a diesel engine—so we had a number of confidence in that body and that undercarriage, which featured Dana 212 axles, restricted slip, four-wheel drive and four-wheel steer. However we needed a platform that might obtain winter tools equivalent to snow blowers and plows, but in addition summer time tools like mowers, trenchers and asphalt planers. We’ve made the multipurpose platform in such a approach that we will use all these attachments which can be manufactured by nice firms, that enable fleet homeowners to make use of that machine year-round.
Charged: So, a fleet may use that platform for a number of totally different functions, altering the attachments as a substitute of getting to purchase a number of items of apparatus?
Gary Dannar: That’s precisely proper. What we offer is mainly three variations on the identical body, and the distinction has to do with the batteries. We’re at the moment utilizing the BMW i3 battery pack, a high-volume off-the-shelf battery. The 250 kWh and 375 kWh variations of the MPS could be configured with a cab and several other attachments like a loader, scissor elevate, forklift and extra, whereas additionally that includes a strong charging functionality. The final model has as a lot vitality on board as attainable—500 kWh—and we provide 480-volt 3-phase as an choice for DC quick chargers. Maybe a buyer needs 4 DC quick chargers on board—we will try this. This model is all about vitality supply, having the ability to obtain expenses from anyplace, and export that vitality in a number of codecs. All three can cost different automobiles, however the 500 kWh MPS can cost massive tools equivalent to excavators and loaders.
Additionally, all three variations could be managed with a wi-fi distant management from as much as one mile away. It’s an encrypted, one-mile, line-of-sight management. We now have semi-autonomous options in improvement with some navy capabilities now.
Charged: We’ve spoken with firms which can be doing one thing related with on-road automobiles. Ree Automotive makes a skateboard platform that’s designed for patrons and upfitters to place our bodies on prime of. I assume they’re taking an idea that has at all times existed within the fuel world and adapting it to the EV world. Is your product like an off-road model of that, or are there another variations?
Gary Dannar: Nicely, the theme is quite common. As you talked about, the chassis cab concept’s been round for a protracted, very long time. It has a body and probably a cab on the entrance, together with an engine and transmission. Now you possibly can put an ambulance physique on there, you possibly can put a tank on there, you are able to do no matter you need with it.
That has by no means occurred within the off-road trade. We’re actually the primary one to usher in a cell multipurpose platform that’s completed to the purpose that you should use it as is to obtain branded attachments—a Viking snow blower, a Bradco trencher, a Caterpillar backhoe, a John Deere trencher—and it’s designed so the fleet supervisor can change that weekly or month-to-month or seasonally as the necessity modifications.
After World Conflict II, a few brothers, Louis and Cyril Keller of Minnesota, invented a bit of four-wheel skid steer that might match inside rooster coops and be used to scrub them out. This advanced into what’s now known as a Bobcat. Folks quickly realized that you can put attachments on that bucket plate, and during the last 30-plus years, folks began recognizing that work attachments might fasten onto the loader arms.
By all means, there’s a number of single-purpose tools that’s been designed to do fantastic work at only one factor, or just some issues—for instance a tractor/loader/backhoe. That’s nice, however there’s extra than simply that—there’s plenty of attachments. We made our platform so it will probably obtain all these skid steer attachments, and it will probably additionally obtain platform attachments like scissor lifts and dump beds and cranes. There are over 250 attachments alone from only one producer, so the variety of use circumstances is infinite.
Charged: These are present attachments which can be made to go on diesel-powered automobiles?
Gary Dannar: That’s proper. Now a few of them are hydraulically powered, and we now have a hydraulic system on the Cellular Energy Station now. The hydraulic system is run from an electrical motor, so you find yourself with one of the best of each worlds. You’ve gotten a high-torque electrical motor with variable pace that is ready to run a hydraulic system extraordinarily effectively and with a number of management. Meaning a number of these hydraulic attachments and instruments truly work higher.
Charged: You could have needed to cooperate fairly intently with the businesses that make these attachments in an effort to guarantee that the whole lot was going to suit onto your platform with a minimal of labor.
Gary Dannar: Completely. The cooperation, although, is extra engineering groups working collectively to guarantee that issues are suitable so the tip person won’t have issues. Electrical energy could be very controllable.
It hasn’t been troublesome to work with massive firms and ensure their attachments will match on a zero-emission car. The names are acquainted: Caterpillar, Case, John Deere, JCB, Komatsu, and European manufacturers. After 30-plus years, most attachments are fairly common. There are nonetheless some proprietary connections, or handshakes if you’ll, however most individuals making these attachments would fairly use a common, well-adopted kind of attachment mechanism so it will probably work on any model of tractor. That’s an idea borrowed from agriculture—take into consideration all of the attachments that go on a three-point hitch.
Charged: Somebody instructed me that the hydraulic methods on these items are one of many important issues that go unsuitable, and are exhausting to take care of.
Gary Dannar: Nicely, the hydraulic producers have been doing diesel-electric for a very long time, in addition to diesel-hydraulic, after which electric-hydraulic. However an inner combustion engine, in an effort to be at optimum torque and horsepower, must spin at 2,000 or 2,200 RPM. Many instances, that RPM is correlated with a mechanical PTO shaft popping out the again and turning at 1,000 RPM, however the hydraulic pump at all times has to spin at 2,000 RPM, and there’s no clutch in between. So, hydraulics have been designed for many years in a approach that while you don’t wish to pump oil, the pump itself goes to impartial however it’s nonetheless spinning at 2,000 RPM. There are different methods which can be designed to ship the oil again to a tank if it’s not wanted to run a cylinder or motor, however the pump remains to be working at 2,000 RPM. That leads to a number of misplaced vitality and added put on and tear on the hydraulic pump, as a result of so long as the engine is working, the hydraulic pump is working.
With an electrical motor, if nothing is transferring. The battery’s not giving up any vitality. And for those who say, “I need just a bit bit to occur for simply the subsequent 30 seconds,” that’s all that occurs. A couple of electrons depart the battery, go to the motor, it solely works for just a few seconds and it’s over. So having the chance to be that environment friendly with vitality, that it solely strikes when there’s a requirement, improves the sturdiness and lifecycle of the hydraulic system.
Charged: I’ve heard that cited as a bonus of electrical tools—in contrast to diesel tools, which is idling on a regular basis, the electrical tools solely must run when it’s working, so the hours of operation are lower than one may assume. You’re saying that there’s a further benefit in that you simply’re additionally saving put on and tear on the hydraulic elements.
Gary Dannar: Precisely. It was one of many first issues that began displaying up when the trade began going electrical. The mining trade and protection trade discovered that the benefits of not idling confirmed up virtually instantly.
“Having the chance to be that environment friendly with vitality, that it solely strikes when there’s a requirement, improves the sturdiness and lifecycle of the hydraulic system.”
The final level I might make is that a few of these electrical machines in development, agriculture, mining and so forth are sensible sufficient to recapture vitality, identical to vehicles. Whenever you hit the brakes, it’s placing electrical energy again within the battery—however it goes a step additional. When you might have an excavator and you’re utilizing that energy to dig and pull and swing that machine over a heavy load in a single route, while you decelerate, you possibly can recapture vitality from that exercise.
You can begin regenerating on a specific motion. That means if I’ve an electrical forklift and lift 20,000 kilos to set it on the third story, the entire time it’s coming down, it’s placing electrical energy again within the battery. Or the forklift lifts as much as the third story and grabs the 20,000 kilos to deliver it down, the entire time it’s coming down it’s placing vitality again into the battery. So, there’s a chance in development tools to truly recapture vitality again into the battery. You possibly can’t try this with inner combustion engines.
Charged: Inform me about a number of the totally different markets to your tools.
Gary Dannar: It’s all markets. Working equipment has had over 100 years to be specialised and add productiveness to all industries. This consists of cemeteries, railroads, amusement parks, the movie trade. You possibly can’t identify any trade that isn’t utilizing machines. At this time, they’re utilizing conventional types of energy, and we acknowledged way back that electrical energy was one of the best work energy.
We all know that issues work higher with electrical energy. We electrified the toothbrush, for heaven’s sake! All of these industries are going electrical. They make the primary transfer due to low value and low upkeep, however they quickly discover that clear vitality isn’t solely safer, however it’s quiet, and quiet can also be safer. You possibly can truly hear somebody subsequent to this machine working. The utility trade figured that out in a short time with bucket vans and placing an individual 20 ft up within the air. When that turns into electrical, they will truly speak to at least one one other. Communication utilizing issues like hand indicators doesn’t go away, however you possibly can truly hear folks round you as you’re working.
Charged: What are you able to inform us about some present clients and companions that you simply’re working with?
Gary Dannar: We’ve truly bought into 9 industries at this level, however the ones which can be on the prime are development, agriculture, cities, counties, states, anybody that’s sustaining massive business fleets for infrastructure. The emergency response and protection industries have been centered on electrical for a very long time.
As you’d guess, for emergency response, often there’s an influence part concerned. The lack of energy, like what was skilled not too long ago in Florida, is a superb instance. These work machines can reply to regardless of the emergency is, like a collapsed constructing or a downed energy line. It might probably deliver the correct instrument to do the work, however it can also energy communications, lights, water pumps, and cost different automobiles. You want a gas truck on a development web site any time equipment exhibits up. We’re the “electrical gas truck.”
Charged: Do you construct any elements your self, or do you largely purchase off-the-shelf elements?
Gary Dannar: From the very starting, we’ve centered on shopping for high-volume elements which can be confirmed within the off-road trade. Excessive quantity additionally means nice product help and components availability. There’s not an actual worth penalty for going electrical as a result of we’re utilizing high-volume components all through the method. We assemble all the MPS in our facility and have some proprietary manufacturing, however actually what we’ve carried out is create software program to make the {hardware} carry out higher than ever earlier than. The MPS is mainly a invoice of supplies engineered round what we will supply at excessive quantity, however we use our proprietary software program to make all the varied elements work collectively.
We decided early on that we might at all times be open to no matter one of the best elements have been for our finish customers, so we’re battery-agnostic. We do use BMW batteries, however we will even be utilizing different batteries, and as a US producer, we wish to see a really excessive proportion of home content material. It’s thrilling to see American manufacturing responding to this electrification motion. There are an increasing number of nice American firms now which can be manufacturing inverters, chargers, and each high- and low-voltage elements. We’re consistently altering and adapting to these. We’re seeing that an underground mine might need a special desire for batteries and elements, nonetheless, agriculture might need a special worth level, so we wish to be very versatile.
“We’re open to no matter one of the best elements have been for our finish customers, so we’re battery-agnostic. It’s thrilling to see an increasing number of nice American firms manufacturing elements. We’re consistently altering and adapting to these.”
Charged: Are there any present clients you can identify at this level?
Gary Dannar: Most of our clients are authorities fleets, and sadly, we’re not able to debate our particular clients. I can say that each one branches of the protection group have both examined an MPS, are at the moment utilizing one, or have a number of items on order. The identical with cities and counties—we now have machines at metropolis, county and state degree, along with utility firms.
Charged: Do you might have any machines in Florida proper now?
Gary Dannar: The Metropolis of Orlando is a buyer of ours, and we now have their MPS in our constructing as a result of we’re upgrading that machine with some new batteries. Our machine could be very modular, and the entire concept was that it will probably at all times be upfitted, upgraded and altered to have the most recent elements. That’s precisely what we’re doing with the Metropolis of Orlando’s machine.
Charged: Right here within the Tampa Bay area, we’re at the moment residing in a catastrophe space. My neighborhood bought an eight-foot storm surge and the entire peninsula was coated with 4 ft of sand. The very first thing they needed to do was herald a great deal of diesel gas. A couple of days after the storm, I noticed an enormous truck loaded with tanks of diesel, and I stated, “Aha! Meaning they’re on the point of begin digging out this sand.” Since then, the entire neighborhood has been stuffed with the roar and stink of engines. I for one would like to see some electrical machines doing the work.
Gary Dannar: We even have folks we work with in Florida, and I do know you’re residing via a tragedy. Too many instances, it’s within the tragedy that it’s most noticeable that there’s a void in having the correct tools in the correct place on the proper time. That’s emergency response.
The protection group has been combating this for a very long time. Adversaries would know one thing was coming when the diesel gas began displaying up. That’s not an excellent tactical approach to run an invasion. Earlier than the protection group can begin getting troops and tools mobilized, they want to ensure they’ve gas in place. The logistics of getting the vitality to the place it’s wanted and shortly has at all times been a problem. Most individuals don’t know that we went to the primary Gulf Conflict with electrical automobiles.
Containers of batteries are displaying up in all places, so as a substitute of the diesel tanks, a container of electrical energy will probably be delivered, and now you possibly can have electrical energy instantly accessible to run electrical tools and deal with on a regular basis energy wants.
For these of us who’re on the entrance fringe of this, there are already excavators and loaders engaged on job websites. The query to fleet managers is: Would you like the diesel mannequin or would you like the electrical mannequin?
Florida emergency responders will determine how they wish to begin buying the correct tools for the longer term. If they’ve a alternative of getting an electrical excavator on that seashore in entrance of your home or a diesel, I feel they’re going to decide on the electrical excavator. And I feel you’re going to see electrical tools getting used for search and rescue missions, such because the apartment collapse in Florida. What would’ve been extra advantageous for that web site the place canine and rescuers have been looking out?
The reply is quiet, clear electrical tools that may take away rubble and particles with little noise and vibration. I feel it’s going to indicate up in these catastrophe emergency response areas in a short time, identical to it’s already proven up for us in protection functions. And these are simply two industries responding to the benefit of all-electric off-road tools and vitality provide methods.
