TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING June 2019 17FROM TOP: RYAN GEHM; FPT INDUSTRIAL
the operator’s face upon approach, and a second scan
is conducted from the armrest monitor for final confir-
mation prior to start-up.‘Virtuous’ fuel cycle
“When methane comes from agriculture or waste
management operations, you truly have a virtuous fuel
cycle,” said Mühlhäuser.
Such a closed-loop cycle sees methane-powered
wheel loaders help produce the fuel from waste prod-
ucts and renewable sources that ultimately powers
them—delivering cyclical CO 2 -neutral production. The
process particularly suits wheel loaders employed in
waste handling or on farms.
Biomethane can be produced from a mix of domestic
organic waste, waste food from industrial food produc-
tion, restaurants, as well as from waste biomass prod-
ucts such as wood chippings, animal waste, and specifi-
cally-grown energy crops and waste plant matter. These
inputs are fed into a biodigester where they’re heated
and begin to break down, generating biogases—includ-
ing biomethane—in a two-stage fermentation process
that lasts about 60 days. The gases are eventually re-
fined to produce fuel-grade biomethane.
For operations that cannot produce their own bio-
methane, the wheel loader concept can be powered
by “conventional network” natural gas.
“We’re firmly convinced that biomethane is going to
be a reality in the off-highway sector,” Mühlhäuser said.EXECUTIVE VIEWPOINTSAn armrest-mounted monitor serves as the operating hub to
control multiple functions such as a facial scan that activates the
start-up sequence and a bucket load-fill assist screen.Running on biomethane, FPT Industrial’s 6-cylinder NG engine reduces CO 2
emissions by 95% and polluting emissions by 80% compared to diesel, allowing a
simplified aftertreatment system to be used.rear and sides of the wheel loader, and filling time is said to be com-
parable to a conventional diesel-powered machine.
This project benefits from the existing R&D program of sister brand
New Holland Agriculture, which debuted a methane-powered concept
tractor nearly two years ago (www.sae.org/news/2017/09/methane-
powered-concept-tractor-from-new-holland-trims-emissions-operat-
ing-costs). And biomethane is a reality today in Iveco trucks and buses.
“The time to bring those engines into our marketable product [for
off-highway] is not three to four years, it’s going to be within the
next one to two years,” in the 2020-21 timeframe, said Mühlhäuser.
“When we talk to our customers and dealers, there is astonishingly
high interest, which should not be a surprise because diesel will be
banned from city centers. This is a reality.”
The concept also includes elements from CNH’s autonomous ve-
hicle development program. Advanced obstacle detection technol-
ogy automatically brings the machine to a halt and informs the op-
erator if an obstacle comes into range.
Cab-mounted cameras replace traditional wing mirrors, and the
display is automatically linked to the direction of travel, changing in
sync with machine shuttling. Voice control functionality has been
integrated into the cab via “home hub” technology—a device inte-
grated into the roof that exploits the Internet of Things to bring ver-
bal commands to action.
Telematics solutions have been fully integrated, connecting the
concept to a control room that ensures optimal machine operation.
Fleet managers can communicate directly with the concept through
onboard audio and text messaging, enabling the operator to fine-
tune machine parameters from the cab.
Biometric facial recognition technology is used in the access and
start-up sequences. A door-mounted facial scanning sensor scans