Meritor, global supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicle and industrial markets, is developing a platform of electric drive axles and suspensions as well as supporting systems to position Meritor as a leader in electric solutions for the commercial vehicle market, including buses.
Essentially, it means integrating an electric motor into the differential carrier, thus developing new and innovative solutions to expand the company’s product portfolio.
Meritor’s flexible e-carrier design will be the foundation for various drivetrain configurations, including full electric, hybrid, single or tandem axles with various options based on application, according to Craig. Designed for city-delivery, medium-duty and transit bus, as well as off-road and severe-duty applications, the electrified, lightweight carrier offers several benefits over remote-mounted electric motor configurations.
Meritor designed the e-carrier as a drop-in replacement of a conventional mechanical carrier that does not disrupt axle or suspension packaging. Because the electric motor is integrated into the axle, space is freed up for batteries and other electrical components, offering easier packaging and installation and a safer, more protected location inside the frame rails to mount the batteries. The solution also eliminates cost and weight associated with a driveline and mounting a remote motor with brackets.
Under development by Meritor are an integrated two-speed electric carrier platform capable of delivering 150-200 kilowatts of continuous power for mounting on existing axle platforms, fitting a wide variety of applications on rigid and independent suspensions, and a 13Xe rigid axle, capable of 200 kW of continuous power and featuring customizable gearing to cover linehaul, school bus, refuse, pickup and delivery, utility and other applications.
Also there is an electric-driving independent suspension for applications such as military, emergency, off-highway and construction vehicles that will benefit from increased performance as well as better ride comfort and handling, and an Electric eCorner module for low-floor applications such as medium-duty Classes 4 and 5, pickup and delivery and transit buses.
