HG, a small family-owned Danish OEM, is making a huge impact with its new battery electrical E2000 dumper – pushed by modern in-wheel motors it has what’s considered probably the most the environment friendly articulated drivetrain on the earth. iVT meets the corporate’s CEO, Nikolaj Birkerod, to search out out extra in regards to the firm’s historical past, it’s automobile growth and the expansion trajectory it’s now on
5 years in the past, Nikolaj Birkerod was working for well-known Danish brewer, Carlsberg with no plans to become involved within the day-to-day operating of his household’s off-highway automobile enterprise. However since then, his private {and professional} life have modified dramatically, not solely is he now the CEO of HG, and on the forefront of growing modern electrical development autos, he’s additionally turn out to be a father, twice.
To say that he’s busy could be one thing of an understatement, “Fortunately in the present day, you are able to do rather a lot on-line. In order that helps,” he smiles. However, iVT was fortunate sufficient to fulfill with Bickerod face-to-face for our interview, off the again of April’s Bauma exhibition in Munich.
Birkerod ended up being the apparent alternative to guide the corporate when market forces prompted the choice to purchase the electrical gear division of HG out of the corporate’s bigger holding construction. His appointment was pushed by each business alternative and private motivation. “I might see the chance,” he says. “I needed to proceed the expansion and journey we have been on round electrifying small dumpers.
“Personally, what evokes me is the potential of making an actual influence, not simply speaking about it. I’m not saying I can utterly change the world however, inside our phase, inside our sector, we’ve got confirmed that with our merchandise you possibly can take higher care of the atmosphere, whereas additionally creating higher merchandise in a technical sense. And it’s higher for enterprise as a result of it’s less expensive.”
Constructing on expertise
HG’s roots stretch again 5 many years. The Danish firm initially manufactured agricultural equipment and different farming provides. The growth into development gear got here 40 years in the past with the acquisition of an organization that produced mini dumpers amongst different machines.
The household possession construction has confirmed advantageous in HG’s present fast growth part. “That’s the luxurious of being a family-owned enterprise, the place you might be in command of your self. You don’t want to debate it with a board or an investor group. We will resolve on Monday morning what we’ll do,” says Bickerod. “We make a plan for the week, then we execute it.”
The start of the corporate’s dedication to electrification started in 2017. “Our evaluation confirmed that we might make electrical merchandise that might be higher and cheaper than diesel,” says Bickerod, “So it was a pretty alternative going ahead.”
The primary electrical automobile HG created was a brand new model of its fashionable hand-operated mini dumper. The 1-tonne diesel HG H1000 was reborn because the E1000 Tremendous Skub (a excessive tip counterpart has additionally been launched).
However the electrification course of was not fairly so simple as the engineering group may need hoped firstly, and a few worthwhile classes have been realized alongside the best way. “First we simply took out the engine, put in a battery and just a little little bit of cabling, after which we drove across the nook – and it stopped,” says Bickerod. That failure prompted a whole rethink from the group. “We stated, ‘Okay, that’s to not going work.’ We wanted to start out over again proper initially.”
In the end the HG E1000 was developed with an electrical battery delivering 2000W of energy to the driving wheels by way of {an electrical} trans shaft, with hydraulics retained for the machine’s tipping operate.
The totally electrical drivetrain delivered some spectacular effectivity positive factors with as much as 12 hours of working time on a single cost, and charging from 20-80% taking simply 90 minutes, whereas 0-100% takes 3.5 hours, on an ordinary EU plug.
“The quantity of power we use working this machine is 50% much less in comparison with comparable autos available on the market. So we’re extra power environment friendly than any of them”
Greater ambitions
Success with the 1-tonne machine led Bickerod, as he took cost, to set the corporate’s websites on an altogether extra formidable undertaking – to develop a completely electrical, articulated 2-tonne dumper that might be extra environment friendly than any competitor and ship the identical spectacular operating time as its smaller counterpart “We didn’t need any points of individuals operating dry – we wish to make certain they’re not nervous about that,” says Bickerod.
The HG group knew that to realize such effectivity the teachings in electrical drivetrain structure realized whereas growing the E1000 must be carried over and constructed upon for the bigger machine. Nonetheless, as the event course of progressed it grew to become clear {that a} easy electrical trans shaft wouldn’t ship the mandatory efficiency, and so the structure developed innovatively round a decentralised drive with 4 particular person wheel-mounted motors. “Primarily we’ve got 4 completely different, particular person engines – one in every wheel,” says Bickerod.
The person wheel-motor system creates vital software program challenges that symbolize HG’s core technological differentiator. “With 4 particular person wheel engines we have to know the place every wheel is at any given time limit. They should coordinate precisely how they’re turning backward, ahead, at what velocity and what power, and the way a lot present draw we’ve got contained in the wheel – all of it must be coordinated completely.”
Conventional techniques rely closely on mechanical coordination, however HG’s method calls for software program options for each working situation. “From a coding and software program level, we have to have a solution on each given state of affairs. It’s essential know what is going on and what it ought to do to maintain it operating easily,” says Birkerod “It’s like placing 4 individuals in a automobile, and also you inform them at any given time limit what they’re going to do with their particular person wheel to ensure the automobile runs effectively. That offers you some thought of what we’re speaking about right here.”
Additional layers of complexity are added to the in-wheel motor system when completely different driving circumstances are launched. “How do you coordinate that easily whereas driving in visitors, with or with out load? Within the rain?” asks Birkerod. “It’s a activity, and I’d say that’s the place we deliver one thing new to the market.”
Testing and growth
HG’s growth method has been methodical, starting with intensive testing in Denmark. Following preliminary prototypes in 2020-2021, the corporate constructed 5 check machines for varied Danish customers in 2022. “We gave the machines to them and requested them to drive them and, mainly attempt to kill them, if they may! They gave all kinds of suggestions and enter.”
Success with the check program led to 25 manufacturing models being deployed throughout Denmark by way of 2023, offering 18 months of operational information earlier than HG started worldwide growth. “We needed to maintain it in Denmark as a result of there was no language barrier and we could possibly be at check websites in a short time,” says Bickerod.
The corporate has since expanded deployment to Holland, Switzerland, and Norway, and on the Bauma exhibition in Munich in April the E2000 was formally launched to the worldwide market. “The launch was a long-term plan for us, we all the time deliberate to launch there if we succeed with all our growth milestones,” says Bickerod.
The milestones have been definitely reached and a few even exceeded. The E2000 delivers on the important thing goal of attaining the identical 12 hours of working time loved by the smaller E1000, with 20-80% charging stored to 90 minutes and full 0-100% cost decreased to 2.5 hours, due to an inside 10kW fast-charger.
The brand new automobile delivers exceptional effectivity positive factors, main Bickerod to confidently assert that the E2000 had probably the most environment friendly articulated drivetrain at Bauma, and presumably wherever on the earth. “The quantity of power we use working this machine is 50% much less in comparison with comparable autos available on the market,” he says “So we’re extra power environment friendly than any of them. The place others electrical autos would possibly require you to make use of two machines to allow continuous driving all day, with ours you solely want one.”
This spectacular effectivity results in vital gas financial savings, which imply that, even on probably the most conservative estimates, the TCO shall be 10% much less over seven years when in comparison with diesel counterparts. For the smaller E1000 the financial argument is much more compelling with the gas financial savings paying for the whole machine over seven years.
With the intensive growth course of efficiently accomplished Birkerod is assured he now has two autos that may energy world growth. “It’s loads of enjoyable,” he says. “I’m having fun with it much more now, in comparison with two or three years again once we actually didn’t know whether or not we’d succeed. However now we all know. Now the journey is completely different. Now it’s about progress, which could be very thrilling.”
With a serious manufacturing facility in Poland and a transparent technological benefit in power effectivity, HG is positioning itself as a severe participant within the worldwide electrical development gear market. Whether or not wheel-motor expertise and software program options can scale to problem established producers stays to be seen, however Birkerod’s confidence suggests the corporate is ready for that check.
