The general mood of this year’s Advanced Clean Transportation Expo – held between 28 April and 1 May in Anaheim, California – was one of healthy confusion. There were questions about the direction of the commercial vehicle industry and how a more sustainable transport system might be achieved. BAE Systems, however, is confident that the industry will continue to move towards net zero; the only questions concern “how it will be done and how long it will take”, according to Robert Lamanna, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems’ Power and Propulsion Solutions division.

BAE Systems is simplifying heavy-duty vehicle electrification with a modular, scalable platform approach. Its Gen3 power systems—MPCS and MAPS—streamline integration, reduce complexity, and cut costs for OEMs.

The Gen3 electric drive system from BAE Systems is designed to offer high performance with low emissions and improved fuel efficiency.

T&BB spoke with BAE Systems, who have thirty years of proven experience delivering hybrid electric drivetrains. They are proposing its parallel hybrid technology to help truck OEMs meet their emissions obligations on both sides of the Atlantic.

The integrated electric drive system on a Class 7 demonstration vehicle has been tested successfully at Eaton’s proving grounds in Marshall, Michigan.

New Flyer’s ‘Xcelsior Hybrid’ will be offered with a new BAE powertrain, adding a ‘GPM’ direct drive motor and a ‘Modular Power Control System’ (MPCS), alongside other components which were in previous models.

There was plenty to report from the 2024 edition of the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo held at the Las Vegas Convention Center between May 20-23.

The companies announced that they had successfully tested their integrated electric drive system on a Class 7 demonstration vehicle at Eaton’s proving grounds in Marshall, Michigan.

The bus will integrate BAE System’s electric powertrain, Ballard’s hydrogen fuel cell and Gillig’s low-floor body. Production is set to begin in Q1 2026 for the North American market.

Cummins and BAE Systems have been working together to produce and deliver ICE-electric hybrid drivetrain systems since 1994.

Sophie Tricaud, Director of Communication and Public Affairs at Forsee Power in response to T&BB confirmed that building works in Ohio is now complete and that the production lines were being installed, with series production scheduled to start in Q3 2024.

The company is set to supply BAE Systems with its Forsee Zen Plus battery system to equip BAE’s Gen3 powertrain on a class 7 demonstration truck. The batteries will be produced at Forsee’s new manufacturing facility in Columbus, Ohio, beginning in Q1 2024.

Greg Marx, Applications Engineer, Power & Propulsion Solutions at BAE Systems, provided an overview of the evolution of fuel cell architecture in transit buses in North America in a presentation at APTA Expo 2023 held in early October in Orlando, Florida, USA.

Sallet, who has been with the company for 35 years, will be responsible for BAE’s financial operations and will report directly to the President and CEO, Tom Arseneault.

On the stand BAE Systems displayed its current family of motors and inverters; these included the GPM-10 and GPM-12 direct drive motors alongside a GPM-5 motor with an Eaton MD4 (Medium-Duty 4-speed) gearbox, as well as the MAPS*, MPCS**, and GPI-10 inverters.

Post pandemic, BAE Systems increasing its efforts to add more transit bus customers to its client portfolio but also new customers in truck, marine and military. Tom Webb, Director Business Development at BAE Systems explains the company's approach to market.

Cumulative orders since March for BAESystems total 1,805 units for delivery taking place over the next two to three years.

Nova Bus has won a contract for up to 1,229 electric transit buses in the province of Québec – the LFSe+ transit 12m electric buses will be delivered over three years starting in 2025 and will feature BAE Systems’ GEN 3 modular electric propulsion system.

Teams at BAE and Eaton will combine their expertise in the development of an integrated electric vehicle system for the medium-duty truck market.

BAE Systems will fit its new Gen3 electric power and propulsion system into three ElDorado Axess EVO-FC zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) buses to operate in Rochester, New York.

The Volvo subsidiary announced an order for five 40-foot electric buses from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the public transport agency which serves the District of Columbia and surrounding parts of Maryland and Virginia in the USA.

The vehicles will be powered by BAE Systems’ third generation Series-E full hybrid drivetrain, consisting of a 250kW electric traction motor, a 150kW Euro 6 combustion engine, and a 1kWh ultracapacitor energy storage system.

BAE System's Power & Propulsion Solutions Division has supplied almost 16,000 electric drive systems to manufacturers in different countries, mainly in North America and Europe. In New York City's urban transport fleet alone, 1,700 buses are equipped with BAE Systems' hybrid powertrain.

BAE Systems is the only powertrain supplier to have received both ‘Low’ and ‘No’ emissions awards under the USD1.17bn DoT FTA Low or No Emission (Low-No) Grant Program