Awkward Potato
Member
Hi Everyone, I'm new here and know very little about heavy equipment. I am reaching out because I am trying to provide feedback to academics modeling the battery sizes needed to create electric version of construction and ag equipment. This includes equipment like graders, excavators, tractor/loader/backhoes, wheel loaders, etc... I would like to check with people who actually use equipment to make sure the results pass the "smell test."
There are a few ways to approach estimating how big a battery the equipment need. One is to have it match the amount of fuel used in a day. An issue here is that electric equipment doesn't use energy when idling, and the academics claim it's common to idle for 50% of the time the equipment is running (is this reasonable?). Another approach is to estimate how many hours a piece of equipment works and at how much hp, which I think gives energy usage. For example, a 110 hp rubber tired loader running at 70% capacity for 6 hours of a 10 hour day and idling for another 4.
I am trying to focus on the most intense days. I assume that if equipment doesn't meet your needs on the most intense days, then it's not worth buying. For example, even though I only drive 20 miles per day on average, I want a car that can go 400 at a time. Another issue is if it's common to be unable to hook up equipment to a specialized charging station, something that might be installed at a "home base" if a company buys some electric equipment.
If you can let me know how many hours you would need equipment to run and at what effort level (I know this may be hard to quantify), or how much fuel is used in a day with the amount of idling, I'd appreciate it. Or point out my assumptions are wrong or that I'm missing something critical.
My goal is to make sure this study is realistic and not just academics saying dumb stuff that doesn't make sense in reality. All feedback is welcome, I really appreciate you helping out.
There are a few ways to approach estimating how big a battery the equipment need. One is to have it match the amount of fuel used in a day. An issue here is that electric equipment doesn't use energy when idling, and the academics claim it's common to idle for 50% of the time the equipment is running (is this reasonable?). Another approach is to estimate how many hours a piece of equipment works and at how much hp, which I think gives energy usage. For example, a 110 hp rubber tired loader running at 70% capacity for 6 hours of a 10 hour day and idling for another 4.
I am trying to focus on the most intense days. I assume that if equipment doesn't meet your needs on the most intense days, then it's not worth buying. For example, even though I only drive 20 miles per day on average, I want a car that can go 400 at a time. Another issue is if it's common to be unable to hook up equipment to a specialized charging station, something that might be installed at a "home base" if a company buys some electric equipment.
If you can let me know how many hours you would need equipment to run and at what effort level (I know this may be hard to quantify), or how much fuel is used in a day with the amount of idling, I'd appreciate it. Or point out my assumptions are wrong or that I'm missing something critical.
My goal is to make sure this study is realistic and not just academics saying dumb stuff that doesn't make sense in reality. All feedback is welcome, I really appreciate you helping out.