TRUCK & TECH
BODY
ELE C
Janus Electric relies on the proven dependability of Dana TM4 propulsion systems for its unique electric truck conversions that are seeing a surge of interest from truck operators in Australia and around the globe.
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he push is on to gradually diminish and eventually eliminate the gargantuan role of the time-honoured internal combustion engine (ICE), replacing it with electric motors. One of the biggest challenges with electrifying long haul trucks is providing the sustainable power necessary for lengthy inter-capital or transcontinental journeys. With charging truck batteries in situ and en route being prohibitively time consuming, why not have a truck with an exchangeable battery that can be easily removed by a forklift and replaced with a fully charged item, with the whole process taking just a few minutes? This was the thinking of Lex Forsyth and Bevan Dooley, who co-founded Janus Electric based at Berkeley Vale on the Central Coast of New South Wales in 2019. These two men head up an operation that is literally changing the face of trucking in Australia. Starting with a conventional (bonneted) prime mover, the company removes the diesel engine and associated componentry such as fuel tanks and installs a Dana TM4 electric motor/inverter which couples directly to the truck’s existing automated manual transmission (AMT). Lex Forsyth, General Manager of Janus Electric, points out that the beauty of the Janus conversion is that the existing 62
may 2022
driveline from the transmission back remains untouched. Furthermore, he maintains, the cost of converting a diesel-powered prime mover into a Janus Electric unit is around the same as rebuilding the diesel engine. Another salient point is that the electric motor/inverter takes up much less space than a 15-litre diesel engine, which means solutions work in both cab over and bonneted trucks. The transition to the Janus Side Battery (JSB) enables one battery to fit all trucks and no modification to the cab or bonnet of the truck having to be converted. “We are using the Dana TM4 SUMO products in both the 350kW and the new 540kW version and we have a number of fleets that have signed up with us to convert their existing trucks,” Lex says. The Dana TM4 SUMO HD produces peak power of 250-370kW and maximum torque of 2,700-4,000Nm, while the TM4 SUMO HP has peak power of 540kW and maximum torque of 2,500Nm. Lex explains that the technology Janus is using in its conversions, including the Dana TM4 motors, is a proven and tested formula. “There are about 130,000 of these motors operating around the world in various applications, and we have simply taken the Dana TM4 technology
and put it into a really smart solution to reduce the carbon footprint of transport in this country,” Lex says, adding, “We are focused on getting Australian transport to carbon zero as soon as possible; not in 2030, 2040 or 2050 — it can be done now.” It’s well documented that there are two pathways to achieving electric power of trucks: hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric. According to Lex, battery electric is the best option. “Bevan and I sat down in late 2019 and crunched the numbers on hydrogen but we just couldn’t make it stack up as a viable option. If it had, we would have a hydrogen solution today,” he says. “The battery electric vehicle and the electric motor/inverter that Dana provides us makes it stack up from a cost/benefit analysis viewpoint.” Further to this, Lex says Janus works on the principle of not overcomplicating the design and working with the truck manufacturers to produce the best result. “At present we are using two of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) AMTs, but we plan to eventually build our own transmission that will better integrate with the electric motor,” he says. Perhaps the most important aspect of the Janus design for long haul trucking is the exchangeable battery packs. The
