HOLMS develops self-powered attachments for electric equipment fleets
HOLMS Attachments has made it easier for heavy equipment fleets to electrify with a new sweeper attachment that’s equipped with its own power source, freeing it from the need for a mechanical or battery (e) PTO.
Commercial trucks do more than just move people and things from place to place – special implements like street sweepers, cherry pickers, and tow beds mean they do real work, as well. But the attachments, implements, and even utility bodies being upfitted onto these trucks were largely developed for diesel platforms. They typically get juice from hydraulics or other power take-off (PTO) systems that typically take the form of a splined drive shaft powered directly by the ICE.
BEVs work differently, and have to draw on their battery power to operate these tools. That takes away which takes away from both the range and performance of the EVs in question. Adding to the complexity, some of these attachments are still mechanically driven, requiring an electrically-driven spline shaft, or “ePTO” to operate.
The new eSL Electric Sweeper attachment from HOLMS aims to solve for all that new complexity that’s emerging as electric equipment becomes more commonplace.
“Electric equipment in general has taken a lot of different directions,” said Dan Snedecor, President and General Manager of HOLMS Attachments. “We realized, let’s not use the power from the machine, because keeping up with that will be even harder than keeping up with the different style hooks and hydraulic systems.”
Developed for the electric equipment needs of the near future, HOLMS’ eSL optimizes the uptime of your electric vehicle or equipment asset so you can complete more tasks between charging sessions.
“Our theory is this will be kind of like an electric drill that we all have at home, where you leave it plugged in until you need it. You go out, you use it, and then you put it back on the charger when you’re done,” Snedecor told Equipment Journal. “The real benefit of that will be the end users don’t need machines that have extra hydraulic functions necessarily.”
The prototype sweeper is controlled from the cab of the wheel loader via Bluetooth and is equipped with a 10 kWh, 48V li-ion battery pack that’s good for three-and-a-half hours of runtime on a single charge. HOLMS says the sweeper’s battery can be recharged in about 90 minutes.
Electrek’s Take
Bobcat was arguably the first big equipment company to start rethinking the way implements would work on electric machinery that didn’t have a reciprocating engine at its core, but the replacement of hydraulics and PTOs with servos and gears seems to be well under way.
We’re here for it.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Equipment Journal, HOLMS.
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Environment
Tesla releases details about ‘Robotaxi’ launch: there’s a ‘safety monitor’ in front seat
Tesla has released the details about its planned ‘Robotaxi’ launch in Austin, Texas, this weekend, and it’s even worse than we thought. There’s going to be a “safety monitor” in the front seat.
Over the last few weeks, we have been discussing how Tesla’s planned launch of a “Robotaxi” service was a game of smoke and mirrors, meant to improve the optics of the automaker’s self-driving efforts as Waymo emerges as a clear leader.
The planned service is a geo-fenced and teleoperation-supported ride-hailing service operated by a small internal fleet, which is completely different from Tesla’s long-promised unsupervised self-driving in consumer vehicles through its “Full Self-Driving program.”
Furthermore, we have been reported on Tesla’s limited testing in Austin, which CEO Elon Musk claimed involved “no driver”, but test vehicles have all been spotted with Tesla employees in the front passenger seats with access to buttons to stop the car or have it pull over.
In comparison, Waymo tested its vehicles for 6 months with a safety driver in the car and 6 months without a safety driver in the car in Austin before launching its commercial service earlier this year.
Now, Tesla has sent invitations to some known pro-Tesla influencers, primarily on Musk’s X social media platform, to experience the launch of the Robotaxi service this weekend.
The invitations confirm extreme limitations in the service, with the most significant one being the presence of a “safety monitor” in the passenger seat.
Here are the other requirements listed:
- You must agree to Terms of Service, Rider Rules, Privacy Notice, and Service Animal Policy.
- You must have a credit/debit card on file.
- You can request a ride via the app from 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM, within the geofenced area (excluding airports).
- Operational hours and geofence details are available in the app and may change.
- Service may be limited or unavailable in inclement weather.
- Only the invited user may download and use the Robotaxi app.
- Participants must be courteous and respectful; unsafe or disrespectful behavior may lead to termination.
- Riders should provide a star rating and feedback in the app.
- Photos and videos of the experience are permitted.
- Smoking, vaping, consuming alcohol, and using drugs are not permitted inside the Robotaxi.
- Robotaxi may not be used in connection with any crime or to transport weapons or illegal/hazardous materials (e.g., flammable or combustible liquids).
- Surveillance, reverse engineering, or recording of proprietary Robotaxi components or features is strictly prohibited.
- Tesla may suspend or terminate access if:
- You violate any of these rules.
- You post or share content on social media that depicts misuse or violations inside the Robotaxi.
In short, Tesla’s “Robotaxi” service is going to launch with the supervision of Tesla employees in the front seat at all times. It’s limited to 6 am to 12 am and it doesn’t work in “inclement weather.
Electrek’s Take
Again, like I repeatedly said, this is all about optics. Tesla is just trying to get a win and say that it “launched its robotaxi on time in June” when this is basically Tesla’s public FSD with the supervising driver being moved to the passenger seat.
At least it’s going to be safer than if Tesla went without it, but it clearly shows that Tesla is falling far behind Waymo and the competition when it comes to self-driving.
The main thing that people like about Waymo and there are even willing to pay more than Uber is the fact that there’s no one else in the car.
This simply won’t scale. Tesla has yet to solve self-driving. It needs to focus on that instead of appearences.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss the Tesla Robotaxi launch this weekend, the new Nissan Leaf, Ford’s upcoming low-cost EVs, and more.
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