Danfoss has recently converted a conventional, diesel-engine-based backhoe loader into a battery-electric development vehicle at its North American Application Development Center. This presentation provides an overview of the design process, focusing on the powertrain architecture selection and the integration of electric and hydraulic systems, with the overall goal of meeting or exceeding the original machine performance in a practical way. This study also discusses the system-level design factors affecting efficiency, controllability, NVH and thermal management in an electric-hydraulic powertrain, and includes summarized results and conclusions from initial vehicle performance testing.

• Overall project objectives, and how the performance and functionality targets affected the key design decisions
• Vehicle powertrain architecture selection and the key factors that must be taken into account
• Thermal management system design considerations for a battery-electric, off-highway vehicle
• NVH principles for an electric-hydraulic powertrain
• Summarized results and conclusions from initial vehicle performance testing