Engine manufacturer Deutz has developed a hybrid power unit for construction equipment designed to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. According to the manufacturer, the new hybrid drive has the potential to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 30 percent.

The unit has a Deutz four-cylinder diesel engine, an electric motor and a battery and control unit. The purpose of the electric drive is to assist the main diesel engine drive that is constantly energized when the engine is running. The system creates and stores electrical energy within a lithium ion battery pack when operating as a generator.

The hybrid system also responds to high engine loads by reversing its operating mode and functioning as an electric motor allowing the system to supplement diesel power by using the stored battery power to assist the engine in driving the machine’s hydrostatic transmission. Nearly doubling the power of the Deutz engine, the electrical system provides a nominal 20-horsepower output with a peak capacity of up to 40-horsepower.

The hybrid drive was developed in conjunction with long-term Deutz partner and supplier Heinzmann, manufacturer of engine control systems. A prototype unit has been fitted to an Atlas Weyhausen wheel loader, the electric motor-generator is situated where the engine’s flywheel and flywheel housing are normally located. Although the standard AR65 loader is powered by a 68-horsepower Deutz TCD 2011 diesel engine, the hybrid version has been replaced by a 50-horsepower Deutz 2011 non-turbo-charged oil cooled version.

Currently, all functions on the Weyhausen loader's equipment side are still hydraulically driven. Deutz’s next focus will be to power the loader by a full hybrid drive system, delivering emission-free operation.
Deutz does not expect the hybrid engine to reach full commercial production until 2010.


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