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Argesys vs Leading Competitors

This document is written to provide insight to Argesys’ class 8 electric truck technologies and the competitive advantages regarding key components of a class 8 electric truck versus that of the leading competitor’s technologies.

The Argesys motor is the only motor designed specifically to drive a class 8 truck. Its continuous output replicates the output of a truck transmission mated with a conventional truck Diesel engine. As such the Argesys truck motor is a high-torque motor in contrast with the competition which uses low torque high speed motors from automotive applications. For comparison, the Argesys motor can develop a maximum torque of 12500 to 15000 Nm vs. 1400 Nm the total torque of the 3 motors used by the leading competition. The competitor’s use of various high-speed motors have serious disadvantages in heavy-duty applications as detailed below.

1 motor vs. multiple motors: Argesys uses one motor per truck (unique) vs. two or 3 motors as used by the leading competitor. Concentration of power is always beneficial in terms of efficiency, weight, cost and complexity which is a fundamental rule/behavior of electric machines.

Electronic Poles Switch (EPS): Argesys uses this unique technique equivalent to changing gears, however there are no gears per se, but everything is happening by controlling the magnetic field distribution inside the motor. One immediate effect is a 2-6 times decrease of the motor frequency towards the high end range of speed. Due to the fact that iron losses and AC losses in coils are proportional to the square of frequency, a better efficiency can be achieved exactly for highway operation. The Argesys induction motor with EPS is more efficient at high speed vs. all other motors with high-end PMs. Argesys EPS technology avoids a multi speed transmission or the coupling and uncoupling of the motors as used by the competition.

Argesys has designed the best electric motor for an electric class 8 truck! The leading competition uses various adaptations of various types of motors as outlined below.

Keeping the correct parallel to the combustion engines, what one competitor did was to replace a Cummins Diesel with 3 Honda Repsol engines. Which is the exact same power, albeit intuitively it is not a good idea for obvious reasons. The other makers did even worse.

Argesys’s EPS eliminates the usage of high end Permanent Magnets (PM). Currently, the Chinese have a monopoly on many precious metals which increases the cost of the finished product. Also, the use of aluminum instead of copper in Argesys motor applications will provide several advantages.

Argesys uses one motor directly driving an existing axle or a tandem axle. Such axles are mass produced and currently in use with millions of other trucks while being available worldwide from a plethora of makers. The leading competition is using specially developed axles which are developed particularly for each brand and are manufactured in small production batches while highly increasing the related cost and the serviceability.

Sprung vs, un-sprung motors. Argesys’ uses a sprung motor fully suspended (mounted on the frame) or supra-suspended (mounted on the cab) which is fully decoupled mechanically from the axle’s parasitic movements. It is driving the axle via a conventional drive-line with U-joints (or CV joints) also found in any conventional truck. The leading competition is using un-sprung motors mounted on the axle. The axle mounted motors will be exposed to rougher vibration and shocks levels up to one order of magnitude higher. This will have a potential significant negative impact in terms of motor life. It will also require the reinforcement of the axle structure, gearing and bearings (extra cost, weight, design effort). Lastly,  the vehicle dynamics requires the ratio between the total sprung weight (whatever is supported by the suspension) and the un-sprung weight (whatever sits directly on the ground) as big as possible, for instance at least 10/1. Increasing the axle weight has only negative aspects in the vehicle handling, the ride comfort and the structural stresses. The sprung motor application was developed initially by the railways engineers more than 150 years ago while the theory of sprung/un-sprung ratio is currently being used intensively by the race/sport car designers. Argesys direct drive sprung motor technology is first in the industry and a definite competitive advantage

Gearing:  Argesys uses only the one stage final drive of the axle(s). The leading competition is using either 2-4 stages. Every stage dissipates 3-4% of the power transmitted, so Argesys will have the best power transfer to ground.

Fix ratio vs. multispeed: Argesys uses no transmission and the fix ratio of the final drive, while the competition is using either a two speed or a three speed transmission negating most of the electric drive simplicity. Multispeed gearing is always introducing extra losses, extra complexity and more failure modes.

Intermittent use of the motors: Argesys has a permanently coupled motor. The leading competition uses 3 motors from which one is used permanent and the other two only on demand and describes as acceleration drive units.

Argesys’s use of its permanent electric motor technology is clearly a competitive advantage. The use of multiple motors and potential; complications and issues is a direct result of adapting motors from other applications other than for class 8 trucks.

Gearing: One of the competitors uses our 20 year old patent US6820707 for their gearing arrangement. Today the patent is expired. Argesys has improved that technology tremendously over the years which obsoletes the old technology.

Maximum adhesion: Argesys can lock all the differentials of the axles (which is standard on conventional trucks) and comes by default with the existing axles. This guarantees in slippery conditions the maximum tractive effort possible. However, all others cannot transfer power from one axle to the other which in certain situations can halve the tractive effort.

Battery swap: The battery is modular and interchangeable within 5 minutes. It can range between 600–kWh to 2000 kWh with available chemistries.

Aerodynamics: Argesys uses a unique airflow geometry applying the Coanda Effect of fluid dynamics. The effect is a highly efficient body with stagnation free airflow. Comparatively Argesys drag coefficient Cd=0.26-0.28 is sensibly lower than the leading competitor Cd-0.36 and significantly lower than the second tier completion with a Cd>0.5.  This immediately affects the energy consumption per mile and ultimately the range per charge.