Driving report Bax electric transporter: The axis is itself

When it comes to electromobility, the cards are being reshuffled. This is the case with passenger cars, where a whole host of new players are making life difficult for the established manufacturers. With commercial vehicles, it’s not that simple. After all, the logistics industry is a tough business where every penny is fought for with a sharp pencil. What matters is what the customer wants. As the name already suggests, the supplier Bergische Axles / BPW delivers has been involved in answering this question for years. The Wiehl-based company has now teamed up with Paul Nutzfahrzeuge and are launching an electric 7.5-ton transporter called Bax. The third experienced commercial vehicle rabbit in the group is Isuzu. The Japanese contribute the chassis of the N series.

So no experiments. The reliability should match. “Payload and range are important,” says product manager Alexander Wolter, summarizing two important attributes. Sounds simple, but it is difficult to implement in an electric vehicle. The be-all and end-all are the powertrain and the batteries. The Bax comes from BMW and can be ordered in two sizes: Medium Range (MR) with a capacity of 84 kilowatt hours and Long Range (LR) with 126 kWh. “With the long range version we have a maximum range of 218 kilometers, these are not WLTP values, but results in everyday use,” explains Alexander Wolter. In winter it should be around 15 percent less. The large batteries can be charged from 20 to 80 percent in 45 minutes using a 100 kW fast charger. It is 200 minutes at a 22 kW AC charging station. With the 86 kWh battery, the 20 to 80 percent are completed in half an hour with a 100 kW fast charger. It takes half an hour at a 22 kW AC charging station. According to Alexander Wolter, if you attach the batteries to an 11 kW charger, the charging time roughly doubles compared to the 22 kW version. But overnight, the energy stores in the depot are full again. A concept that many providers of e-commercial vehicles are pursuing.

BPW was able to demonstrate its expertise when it came to the drive and integrated two electric motors in the rear axle. “Here we come. When we do something, we pack it into the axis,” says Wolter. So the technicians packed two compact PSM electric motors in the rear axle. An advantage of this arrangement is that you can use torque vectoring to limit the turning circle to 16.3 meters on the long range version. The performance of 100 kW / 136 hp is secondary in the Bax concept. Efficiency and suitability for everyday use are important in urban operation. The engines create a total torque of 6,580 Newton meters, enabling the van to manage three tons of gradients of 20 percent when fully loaded. The engines are optimized for the city and therefore have a high power density and must be cooled with oil, which must be changed every five years.

Enough of the preamble. We grab a long wheelbase Bax van with the big battery. The glowing red emergency stop button clearly signals that this is a test vehicle and the clearly visible signs of wear and tear on the body mean that this has already been properly abused. After just a few kilometers it is clear that the Bax is completely unspectacular to drive and that means for the technicians: goal achieved. The recuperation is just as strong that the brake lights do not come on. Tesla took a close look at that. If you drive with foresight, you can get by with the accelerator pedal alone. Only the steering leaves something to be desired. You have to crank the wheel to make the payload move in the desired direction. “We’ll improve that again,” promises Wolter.

This corresponds to the approach of the BPW team, which develops the truck in cooperation with the customer. Because they know best what they need. Potential customers such as DHL or MEWA (textile management) carry out some test drives themselves. In this way, the Bax creators receive direct feedback from the buyers from everyday use. The Stromer transporter is already for sale in Germany, but still has to go through an individual inspection. EU type approval is to take place in the second half of the year, after which this tiresome procedure will no longer apply and other European countries such as Austria and France will then be conquered.

As is usual with such commercial vehicles, Bax only supplies the chassis, and the customer then orders the body he needs. The superstructures of the diesel trucks can be adopted one-to-one. In the new world of commercial vehicles, networking and assistance systems are important alongside practicality. With the Bax, among other things, a lane keeping assistant, an emergency braking system and an optional turning assistant support the driver. The connectivity helps logistics companies to plan routes and thus save time and money by always having an eye on the vehicle’s data. In this way, you can react quickly to new requirements, change the route and, if necessary, follow up on loads.

By transmitting the telemetry data, the companies always have an eye on the driving profiles and consumption, as well as the important mechanical and electrical systems. Updates can also be installed wirelessly. The BAX 7.5 is available with two different wheelbases of 3.465 meters and 4.475 meters and the two battery sizes mentioned. Whereby the short wheelbase always requires the small batteries. Prices start at 160,000 euros, the variant with a long wheelbase and large battery costs 189,000 euros.