Overview

Hybridization and Full Electrification Potential in Off-Road Applications

This CARB-funded project aims at determining hybridization and full electrification potential of off-road construction and agricultural equipment, in order to curb emissions from this vehicle categories. California has set ambitious goals to reduce statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to eighty-percent below 1990 levels by 2050 and to achieve air quality goals by meeting National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Attaining these emissions targets will require reductions in fossil fuel use in various sectors of the state's economy. Mobile sources constitute a major portion of the GHG inventory and off-road equipment is one important sector. Off-road equipment is also a major source of criteria pollutants such as particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX). For this reason, incentivizing the adoption of zero-emission technology in this sector would have multiple benefits of reducing both GHG and criteria pollutants. Although some electrified off-road equipment currently operates in the state, more work is needed to determine the feasibility of electrifying wider vocational applications of this important emissions source. The objective of this study is to propose previously unexplored pathways for hybridization and electrification in off-road equipment that maximize climate and air quality benefits while remaining both technically and economically viable. This study will assess the current trends toward electrification in the off-road equipment sector and determine the factors that have driven these trends.

Additionally, this study will examine the entire off-road sector with an engine horsepower greater than 50hp and classify the various vocations by energy demand and operational activity to determine which sectors have not been considered for hybridization or electrification but could be partially or fully electrified in the near future. The University of California, Riverside (UCR), proposes to examine the inventory of off-road equipment, particularly construction and agricultural equipment, in California and classify by power requirements, engine sizes, population, and emissions. They will perform a market share analysis to discern major trends in this sector and compare to current inventory predictions. They will summarize current information on existing electrification efforts and leverage the expertise of their subcontractor, CALSTART, INC., to better understand which vocational applications are already on their way toward electrification and determine the factors that encouraged these trends. The contractor has direct access to a diverse set of activity and emissions data collected in the field from off-road equipment. They will utilize this data to perform a duty cycle analysis and input it into a powertrain model to test the feasibility of electrifying equipment. They will specifically target equipment that has not yet been explored for electrification and which is a major source of emissions in the state. The results of this study will provide CARB with a roadmap for future incentive programs that will help meet its air quality and climate goals.

Lead Faculty: Dr. Kanok Boriboonsomsin, Dr. Guouan Wu, Dr. Fuad Un-Noor