Danfoss Receives UK Grant for Electrification

Danfoss Power Solutions has secured a grant worth approximately $450,000 from the UK government to accelerate the electrification of construction machinery.

The UK Department for Business Energy and Skills awarded the grant through its Red Diesel Replacement competition, which seeks to accelerate the transition to electric off-road vehicles such as excavators and wheel loaders.

Danfoss plans to combine electrification with its Digital Displacement technology to significantly improve machine efficiency. Reducing energy consumption by as much as 50%, the technology can dramatically decrease the size of batteries needed to power the machines and the amount of energy needed to charge them.

Danfoss is already constructing a 25-million-pound ($28 million) state-of-the-art manufacturing, research, and development facility in Edinburgh, Scotland, to commercialize its Digital Displacement technology and Editron electric drivetrains, which it believes will transform the construction machinery sector. Dubbed the Decarbonization Hub, the facility will become operational next year.

Danfoss research has shown that as much as 70% of an excavator’s energy is wasted in the hydraulic system between the engine and the working functions. Significantly reducing this energy loss enables future machines to use much smaller, and therefore cheaper, batteries.

Danfoss’ computer-controlled Digital Displacement technology can significantly improve system efficiency and reduce energy use. A paper Danfoss submitted to the International Fluid Power Conference, one of the world’s largest scientific conferences on fluid power, shows that Digital Displacement technology can already deliver a 24.8% lower capacity battery to complete eight hours of typical operation.

For more information, visit www.danfoss.com.

• Danfoss
• digital displacement
• fluid power
• hydraulics