The ongoing shift toward clean power in the off-highway equipment industry was the focus of engineering.com's most recent episode of its popular web show, Manufacturing the Future.
The episode highlighted the International Fluid Power Exhibition (IFPE) and featured insights from AEM Senior Director of Construction Sara Feuling and Poclain Hydraulics Vice President of Sales and Application Engineering Matt Christensen. The pair spoke on the multiple advanced technologies in use and under development in the off-highway sector that are delivering clean power with high productivity and safety.
In the episode, Feuling discussed how regulatory demands are driving advancements in technology, as those within the off-highway industry works to ensure it complies with current and future technical requirements.
“Back since the early 1990s, diesel internal engines, both on and off highway, have been subject to tiered emission requirements that’s regulating nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, particulate matter and emissions,” said Feuling. “The off-highway industry is very conscious of the environmental impact and continues to focus its efforts on designing to comply with those regulations both at the state and the federal level. In fact, AEM, on behalf of our membership, has actually engaged with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in response to its proposed Tier 5 rulemaking on behalf of that entire off-highway industry representing all of that broad manufacturing scope.”
Meanwhile, Christensen shared some insights on electrification in off-highway industry and where he believes it’s headed in the years to come.
“There’s definitely lots of technologies that have emerged in development,” he said. “The power density of the traditional fossil fuels and a combustion engine is hard to match when you have the same space claim or the same amount of space for an electric solution. So, we're in a situation where there's a spectrum or a transition that has to occur. We're going to have to use some of our fossil fuels in the best way possible, the most efficient way possible, while we develop some of these other technologies as we move from traditional hydraulic architectures to electro-hydraulic vehicles and even fully electric platforms.”
Watch the full episode here, or view a clip below:
Learn More About IFPE 2023
IFPE is the leading international exposition and educational resource dedicated to integrating fluid power with other technologies for power transmission and motion control applications. Held every three years, the next IFPE is set for March 14-18, 2023, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, USA. IFPE is co-located with CONEXPO-CON/AGG, one of the world’s largest gatherings for the construction industries. To learn more, visit www.ifpe.com or sign up for show alerts.
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