Logset has released the 12H GTE Hybrid forest harvester, which it claims is the world’s most powerful due to an electric-diesel power system delivering 380kW (510hp) of power and a massive 2,000Nm of torque.
The hybrid system is made by Finland’s Visedo Oy, which specialises in electric power transmission for mobile machinery.
Visedo says that the 24.5-tonne Logset 12H GTE Hybrid is based on its PowerPLUS parallel hybrid system, which is designed for power-increase projects like this one and also for applications that intend to reduce the size of diesel engines.
In addition to increasing power, it says, the system makes the vehicle more environmentally sound and economical as fuel consumption decreases.
The core components of PowerPLUS are Visedo’s PowerDRUM permanent magnet electric motors and the PowerCAP supercapacitor energy storage. The system can be installed in the vehicle’s powerline to assist the diesel engine produce the torque.
“PowerPLUS can be installed directly between a diesel engine and a traditional hydraulic powerline,” Visedo director of engineering Dr Ville Naumanen says. “It functions independently and supports power production.”
Naumanen says the fuel consumption of a hybrid engine is about 25 percent lower than that of a corresponding diesel engine, citing harvesting fuel consumption of only 13 litres per hour.
A hybrid engine increases power by 72 percent and torque by 54 percent compared to a model with a diesel engine of the same size, he adds.
“We have done research on hybrid technology for several years,” Logset technical director Jukka Kivipelto says. “The technology has developed rapidly, and now it is ready to be used in forest machinery.
“The system in the new harvester is designed to produce power instantly, which makes the machine very powerful. A hybrid engine is not only a powerful choice, but also an economical and ecological one.”