to that axle—making it an"e-axle"— is the better way to go. It's not as simple as e-axles are too new and little understood, either. It's also a case of what a vehicle designer is looking to build for.Some builders aren't as keen to trust the total reliability of an e-axle just yet. Motiv Power Systems, a stripped chassis and commercial van builder based in Foster City, California, is one.
Krauskopf doesn't totally rule out the use of an e-axle,"but I want someone else to kind of be the guinea pig and do it first in the commercial industry." For Motiv's customers, that's also what they are looking for because"What good is the newest when those trucks are down? They're losing revenue."Castelaz also brings up cost as a reason why Motiv has gone with central drive motors over e-axles.
That position makes quite a lot of sense. When you look at the driveline components beyond the transmission on a stripped chassis—Motiv's bodyless offerings—all you see are standardized and bulletproof parts. Nearly every commercial truck utilizes similar looking and robust components. It's not just to deal with the cargo weight but also to ensure that those drivelines last as long as the chassis or longer.