Allison: Electric Race Truck with Dakar Team de Rooy

The automatic transmission specialist for commercial vehicles, Allison, has entered into a partnership with the Rallye Dakar team de Rooy, which has been successful multiple times in the truck category. The collaboration, planned for three years, aims to develop electrically powered trucks for the Rallye Dakar and other races. Initial tests with an electrified truck are already planned for the beginning of next year. A year later, in January 2023, the E-Truck is scheduled to make its debut at the Rallye Dakar, reports the specialist for heavy and medium full-automatic transmissions headquartered in Indianapolis, USA.

On the premises of the de Rooy transport company in Son en Breugel, near Eindhoven, Netherlands, the "ambitious" project was introduced for the first time in November this year, as described in their own words. The contract was signed by Sjoerd Vos, Director of Marketing Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Allison Transmission, as well as Gerard de Rooy, Managing Director of De Rooy Transport and owner of the truck rally team de Rooy. The rally driver and manager of his father and fellow racer Jan de Rooy's transport company has won the Rallye Dakar in 2012 and 2016 as both team owner and driver.

On the Road with Allison Since 2018

The De Rooy team switched to Allison fully automatic transmissions in 2018. This is because vehicles used for racing purposes, in particular, are subjected to extreme stress on mechanical components such as suspension, axles, and transmissions. Damages can occur due to prolonged shocks and vibrations impacting the entire drivetrain on rough tracks. Conventional manual transmissions limit traction too much on loose sandy ground at low speeds. "It's great that Allison supports us with our plans for an electric drive, especially since we know how effective and robust the Allison transmissions are," said de Rooy.

Successful in Racing

The suitability of the Allison transmissions is evident in their success: at the last Dakar Rally, vehicles equipped with them were dominantly represented in the Top 10 of the truck ranking. High-demand motorsport is particularly well-suited for developing new technologies, says Sjoerd Vos. For this purpose, it offers one of the best opportunities to bring innovations to their performance and stress limits under the toughest conditions through extensive testing. "There is no more demanding motorsport competition in the world than the Dakar Rally," Vos added.

Iveco and Hyundai E-Trucks

The new racing foundation of Team de Rooy is set to be an Iveco electric truck with Allison's 4000 Series^TM fully automatic transmission with retarder. According to the manufacturer, this drive is designed for all medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicle engines, as well as all types of fuels and electric motors, and is equally suitable for applications in construction, waste disposal, and firefighting. Combined with an electric motor, the solution has been in use since 2020 in the Hyundai XCIENT, the world's first mass-produced heavy-duty truck with fuel cell electric drive, Allison reports.

Torque Converter with Damper, Learning Algorithm

One of the advantages of these transmissions is the patented torque converter, which seamlessly multiplies the torque at the start, thereby enhancing performance and range. This allows the electric rally truck to tackle sand dunes even with a smaller and weaker drive motor. Additionally, the torque converter's torque converter lockup clutch includes a damper that protects the vehicle's drive motor from torsional shocks in the drivetrain. A learning algorithm continuously adjusts the engine speed and torque during operation. According to the manufacturer, this method contributes to both increased efficiency and energy savings in electric motors.