DEUTZ makes a start on off-highway electrification

DEUTZ makes a start on off-highway electrification

    Innovative drive systems reduce operating costs thanks to electrification

    DEUTZ engines are ‘Stage V certified’

    The ‘DEUTZ Connect’ app enables engine diagnosis by smartphone

Between 23 and 28 April, DEUTZ will be showcasing its innovative drive systems at Intermat 2018, the international construction and infrastructure trade fair which is held every three years in Paris. As part of its E-DEUTZ strategy, DEUTZ will for the first time be exhibiting electrified drive solutions for off-highway applications which can be installed, for example, in construction and material handling equipment. Other highlights include the range of EU Stage V certified engines and the new ‘DEUTZ Connect’ app which enables remote engine diagnosis by smartphone.

The E-DEUTZ strategy represents the company’s next decisive step; it combines its low-emission engines with electric drives. In September 2017, DEUTZ acquired Torqeedo GmbH, the global market leader and system solution specialist for integrated electric and hybrid drives for boats. This acquisition is the catalyst for the electrification of the DEUTZ product range. It will allow DEUTZ to harness Torqeedo’s extensive know-how to benefit future developments in its core off-highway business.

To illustrate this technology transfer, DEUTZ will be displaying in Paris an electrified off-highway drive solution, consisting of a combustion engine and an e-motor, plus power electronics and a battery pack specially designed for this combination. DEUTZ’s solution will use the high-performance ‘BMW i’ lithium-ion technology which is already successfully employed in the automotive sector. As regards their power output and capacity, each component can be scaled to meet customers’ requirements. Dr Frank Hiller, Chairman of the DEUTZ Board of Management states: “Our E-DEUTZ strategy is designed to make us the market leader for innovative drive systems in the off-highway segment and to steal a march on the competition. Customers will be able to choose whatever is the optimum combination of conventional and electric drive components for their particular application so as to achieve a considerable reduction in their overall operating costs.”

STAGE V certified

At the 2015 Intermat, DEUTZ’s ‘Stage V ready’ seal was the promise to customers that the existing TCD engine range would meet the EU Stage V emissions standard due to come into force in 2019. DEUTZ has now made good on its promise and is the world’s first engine manufacturer to be given an EU Stage V certificate. The DEUTZ TTCD 6.1 was awarded the first certificate as early as September 2017 and was followed by other models which were immediately marketed under the ‘Stage V certified’ seal. The particular added value for customers is that changing from the current EU Stage IV to Stage V requires no additional installation space, thus avoiding expensive modifications to customers’ equipment. By obtaining the first EU Stage V certificate, DEUTZ is also delivering on its environmental promise and emphasising its position as an engine manufacturer with an eco-friendly focus.

Extended power range

For heavy-duty off-highway applications, DEUTZ will continue to rely on powerful diesel engines and, from 2019 onwards, ready for EU Stage V, will once again be considerably extending its portfolio in the upper power output range with four new heavy-duty in-line engines with cubic capacities of between 9 and 18 litres. At Intermat, DEUTZ is exhibiting the 300 kW four-cylinder TCD 9.0 which generates 1,700 Nm of torque. The TCD 12.0 and 13.5 are six-cylinder engines producing, respectively, 400 kW of power and 2,500 Nm of torque, and 450 kW of power and 2,800 Nm of torque. All three models are part of a family platform concept with a standardised customer interface and identical front and rear sides, making it considerably easier to integrate and service the engines. The proportion of common parts is approximately 65 percent which reduces servicing complexity and optimises inventory holdings. In future, the 620 kW six-cylinder TCD 18.0 in-line engine which generates 3,600 Nm of torque will occupy the upper end of the power output range. With this engine, DEUTZ is specifically catering for heavy-duty construction equipment with high output and torque requirements.

DEUTZ is also extending its product range in the lower power output range. Also appearing in 2019, based on the successful four-cylinder TCD 2.9 (between 30 and 75 kW), will be a three-cylinder variant (the TCD 2.2) ranging in output from 22 to 56 kW. Both these diesel engines will also be available as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) versions. The gas variants, the G 2.2 and G 2.9, will produce between 26 and 54 kW. All the variants will be based on the same engine platform, creating correspondingly extensive synergy effects. These drives will represent a further option, in particular for low-load applications in the material handling and compact construction equipment field.

Get CONNECTED

At Intermat, DEUTZ will also be presenting two digital products under the slogan ‘Get CONNECTED’. The free ‘DEUTZ Connect’ service app now enables engine diagnosis to be carried out remotely via a smartphone or a tablet. All the relevant engine data and the fault memory can be read out on-site and sent to the dealer with a single click, guaranteeing rapid and precisely targeted servicing procedures. Fleet operators can also use the easy-to-use app to manage their engines and to specify servicing windows, for example. Visitors to the stand at Intermat will be able to put the app to the test on an oversized smartphone.

DEUTZ is also showing its new online service portal (www.deutz-serviceportal.com), another feature of its service provision. Customers anywhere in the world will be able to get in touch with their local service partner to register their engines online and to buy spare parts online 24/7. This platform-based system combines the benefits of the World Wide Web – unlimited availability round the clock – with the strengths offered by an expert local aftersales service. The provision of aftersales support and parts delivery will remain in the hands of the local DEUTZ partner close to the customer. This allows delivery times to be minimised and the most efficient support to be provided.

As Michael Wellenzohn, member of the DEUTZ AG Board of Management for Sales / Service and Marketing explains: “The ‘DEUTZ Connect’ app and the new online service portal represent an investment in the digitalisation of our business; at the same time, they provide our customers with highly-capable and convenient service solutions, saving them time and money. Taken together with our extended range of Stage V certified combustion-engine products and our future E-drive portfolio, we are now ideally positioned in the market to contribute actively to the future shape of mobility with our innovative drive systems.”