By Atul Gopal
We had an opportunity to visit Nothway Motorsports to check out their new electric truck conversion kit. In this blog, we talk about the ideas implemented in this certified kit, after experiencing the truck and speaking to the founder Mr Hemank Dhabade
We had an opportunity to visit Nothway Motorsports to check out their new electric truck conversion kit. In this blog, we talk about the ideas implemented in this certified kit, after experiencing the truck and speaking to the founder Mr Hemank Dhabade
Video : Tata Ace Gold Electric Truck Conversion
The Tata Ace, more lovingly known as the Chhota Hathi, has been one of Tata Motor's huge success stories. I can only think of the 407 as the other one. Mini truck operators have fallen in love with this model. Though a wee bit underpowered with its 2 cylinder engine, the low operating and maintenance costs, along with a loading capacity of 1 t has been a hit formula. We read recently in the news about TML making plans to launch the electric Ace. And we did not have to imagine too much about the electric Ace experience. Our friends at Northway Motorsports had already been working on electrifying the workhorse - ok, make that work-elephant, and are ready now.
Here are the specs: 15 kW motor. 13 kWH battery pack. Range from 80 to 150 km depending on load conditions. I would have been happier with a range of around 200 km. That means that some intercity trips can happen. But extra range means extra investments. For a higher range, extra battery will also eat into your loading area. So the math is to discover what price / range combination works best for truck operators. Northway feels that a 100 km range is good enough. They have surveyed 500 Ace users, and real life data indicates that most vehicles do about that much in a day.
And on the rare days that they do go beyond 100, they can do the very jugaadu fast charging. To rein in costs, there is no provision for No CCS or DC fast charging. What the Northway team has done is to give an option of charging with 3 phase, 2 phase or 1 phase. With 3 phase charging, you can recharge your battery in about an hour. And most truck operators would have some connections with factories and warehouses where 3 phase connections are already available. So there is no need to go out of the way to visit special fast DC chargers.
Here are the specs: 15 kW motor. 13 kWH battery pack. Range from 80 to 150 km depending on load conditions. I would have been happier with a range of around 200 km. That means that some intercity trips can happen. But extra range means extra investments. For a higher range, extra battery will also eat into your loading area. So the math is to discover what price / range combination works best for truck operators. Northway feels that a 100 km range is good enough. They have surveyed 500 Ace users, and real life data indicates that most vehicles do about that much in a day.
And on the rare days that they do go beyond 100, they can do the very jugaadu fast charging. To rein in costs, there is no provision for No CCS or DC fast charging. What the Northway team has done is to give an option of charging with 3 phase, 2 phase or 1 phase. With 3 phase charging, you can recharge your battery in about an hour. And most truck operators would have some connections with factories and warehouses where 3 phase connections are already available. So there is no need to go out of the way to visit special fast DC chargers.
|
|
The Ace retains its original gear box, though the clutch has been taken out. This means that you need to ensure zero throttle when you do a gear change. Takes some getting used to. But then, you can also drive the Ace as an automatic in the 3rd gear. Northway recommends that you use the first and second gears only for heavy loads, low battery conditions or heavy inclines. Thanks to the high starting torque of motors, gradability is much better than the diesel or CNG Ace. Though Northway's Ace test mule has been tested at 110 kmph, the plan is to restrict the production version Ace Electric top speed to 80 kmph.
Battery packs are fitted under the load body. The vehicle handling improves because of a more even weight distribution and a lower center of gravity. The aim has been to retain as much of the familiar controls and displays of the original Ace.The battery SoC is indicated by the fuel gauge. The NVH factor is greatly reduced in the Ace, but that means that stuff that you couldn't hear earlier - like body rattle - is more audible now. Definitely a leap up for driver comfort, though I would crib a bit about the roughness in gear shifting. Would have been happy if Northway would have provided a battery cable storage compartment, right next to the charger. The real cost economics in Ace kind of vehicles is to be able to beat CNG. With a kit expected at between 3 to 4 lakh, the electric Ace may just about provide serious competition to the CNG one.
Manufacturer Website
www.northwayms.com
Battery packs are fitted under the load body. The vehicle handling improves because of a more even weight distribution and a lower center of gravity. The aim has been to retain as much of the familiar controls and displays of the original Ace.The battery SoC is indicated by the fuel gauge. The NVH factor is greatly reduced in the Ace, but that means that stuff that you couldn't hear earlier - like body rattle - is more audible now. Definitely a leap up for driver comfort, though I would crib a bit about the roughness in gear shifting. Would have been happy if Northway would have provided a battery cable storage compartment, right next to the charger. The real cost economics in Ace kind of vehicles is to be able to beat CNG. With a kit expected at between 3 to 4 lakh, the electric Ace may just about provide serious competition to the CNG one.
Manufacturer Website
www.northwayms.com