The trucking industry is changing, and with it, the electrical systems in trucks are evolving too. Today, heavy-duty trucking is not just a way to move freight across the country; it is a complex, systemic enterprise—synapses between thinking FedEx runs and algorithms with Amazon-like demands. And the advances that underpin these systems are showing up now in big-rig electrics, right alongside the stackable electronic modules that are the faintly humming nervous system of any automotive architecture.
Fundamentals of Truck Electronics
Truck electronics include various parts, starting from simple wiring and batteries to complex sensors and control units. They are responsible for many crucial truck functions, such as managing the engine as well as the truck’s lighting and entertainment systems. The reason for the heightened significance of these electronics is clear: they support the whole function of the truck.
Power Systems: Batteries and Charging
Truck battery systems are the main source of electric power for trucks. They supply electricity to start the engine. Truck batteries also power the many electrical components found on the truck when the engine is running as well as when the engine is off (APU systems). Batteries used on modern trucks tend to use advanced battery technologies as compared to the simple lead-acid batteries found on trucks in the past.
The charging system is more than just the alternator. It also includes associated regulators that maintain the battery’s charge while supporting the electrical load during vehicle operation. As we noted earlier, vehicle electrical science has its roots in the days of Edison and Tesla, and much truck VEDS magic still involves old-school generator and battery electricity. However, as electronics have become more and more prevalent, the alternator has become an even more vital player in the power generation system.
Advancements in Lighting
Truck lighting is moving more and more toward LED technology. Compared to traditional lighting, light-emitting diodes perform better in so many ways. They’re way more efficient: They convert way more of their energy supply into light instead of waste heat. And the amount of light they produce can cover a third of the space required by an incandescent or halogen bulb. Yet for all these efficiencies and gains, LEDs are only now getting to a point where they’re good enough to take over basic, stable-function light functions in a vehicle.
Enhancing Safety and Efficiency with Modern Systems
The efficiency and safety of transport operations are increased through the use of modern electronic systems in trucks that provide route guidance and enable the vehicle to be located at all times. These systems also allow for communication with dispatch centres, keeping both the driver and the centre up-to-date with the needs of the operation.
Truck safety systems encompass a number of electronic assistive technologies, such as electronic stability control, anti-lock braking systems, and advanced driver assistance systems – all of which use the truck’s electrical system to work properly.
The Future of Truck Electrics: Electric and Hybrid Innovations
Electrifying truck electrics has produced huge upshots in truck performance and driver safety. Perhaps most potent is the emergence of a new generation of electric and hybrid trucks. These vehicles use intricate, computer-managed electrical systems to handle the flow of power between traditional truck motors and the motors found in the new truck designs, and the result is a marked improvement in both the energy and power sides of truck performance.
Challenges in Electrical System Maintenance
Though there are breakthroughs, difficulties persist in the layout and upkeeping of truck electrical systems. Mostly, this is because of the need to wire and control ever-more-complex bundles of not just electricity but also levels of energy and elements of information that together power a truck. And as the system’s complexity has increased, so, too, has the know-how required to service it. Merely identifying a specific problem can—without the right tools—often take even a skilled technician hours of work. And all too often, the ‘right tool’ is a kind of instrument specially developed on an ‘as-needed’ basis.
Conclusion: The Electrified Future of Trucking
Trucking’s future lies with electricity, and one major reason for that is the change to truck electrical systems. The industry is transforming itself, focused on delivering ever-safer and more sustainable transportation. Smart, electromechanical designs for truck electrical systems are key to that change’s success, and they’re the focus at Rosendin Electric. But many still operate with electric systems developed in the past – some nearly 100 years old – that can’t hope to be as safe, reliable, and efficient as today’s designs.