Together with its wholly-owned technology subsidiary Epec Oy, Finland-headed forest machine manufacturer Ponsse Oyj has introduced the PONSSE EV1, an electric forest machine technology concept. While the forest machine will be commercially available later, Epec’s technology can already be used in electric or hybrid-electric commercial vehicles and non-road mobile machines.
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Focussing solely on cut-to-length (CTL) systems, Ponsse sees itself as a part of sustainable forestry and seeks carbon neutrality in its operations and solutions.
Ponsse provides sustainable harvesting solutions by listening closely to its customer needs and aims to lead the way in the development of forest machine technologies.
Technological development is fast and offers us excellent opportunities to develop our solutions further, even in unexpected directions. We have worked hard with our technology company Epec to enable this concept. At the same time, both companies have developed their capabilities, and we have gained significant new knowledge during this project, said Juho Nummela, President and CEO of Ponsse.
Ponsse’s technological concept is a peek into the future, paving the way for technological development and sustainable harvesting solutions, and is part of the company’s strategy and a tangible step towards the goal of carbon neutrality.
This launch of a new technology concept is a peek into the future and one of the solutions offered by electric powertrains. Sustainable development is a significant future success factor for Ponsse. We want to strongly develop our solutions with Epec. Our strategy reform has been successful at Epec, and we’re very happy with Epec’s excellent development, Juho Nummela said.
PONSSE EV1 concept
The PONSSE EV1 concept took its first steps in 2019 when Ponsse and Epec started to investigate responsible power source solutions in line with sustainable development.
The concept has been developed for forwarders with a 15-tonne load-carrying capacity, the most popular Ponsse forwarder size category. The fully functional concept machine features a fully electric powertrain, as well as Epec’s power distribution unit and hybrid control unit.
The concept forwarder’s powertrain and auxiliaries such as hydraulic motors are electric, and powered by batteries. The batteries are charged using a Range Extender, which at this stage of development is a conventional diesel engine.
Launch of Epec Flow electromobility system
The PONSSE EV1 features Epec Flow, Epec’s comprehensive and customizable electromobility solution for electrifying non-road mobile machines and commercial vehicles, optimizing their performance and improving the total cost of ownership that was also launched.
The solution is based on the Epec Flow Power Distribution Unit (PDU), to which electric motors, batteries, and various devices can be connected.
The PDU’s integrated safety solutions enable effective manufacturing and maintenance of the machines, as well as their operations in demanding conditions.
The Epec Flow Hybrid Control Unit (HCU) controls the electric powertrain and includes software developed through simulations, enabling optimal energy consumption, productivity, and usability.
The Epec Flow solution is at the heart of everything. It has been developed for the electrification of various commercial vehicles and non-road mobile machines. The software can be developed using simulation models, and the solution can be agilely developed for the needs of different machinery, explained Jyri Kylä-Kaila, Managing Director of Epec.
According to Jyri Kylä-Kaila, the Epec Flow system adapts to different vehicle architectures, optimizes machines with over-the-air software updates, and is scalable and customizable.
The key principle in system development is seamless cooperation with the machine manufacturer’s and key suppliers’ project teams and creating a holistic view of the machine.
Testing and validation support for the complete vehicle is included, and the company has profound simulation-based system engineering experience from the world’s leading machine manufacturers
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have thus the freedom to select the key components from various suppliers while Epec offers component sourcing support enabling volume advantage.
The different systems, including the transmission and control system, work seamlessly together, enabling the manufacture of safe and efficient zero-emission machines in the future ended Jyri Kylä-Kaila.
