THE FRONT BOOT
sometimes just embarrassing once stuck,” Huett
said. “You typically have to apply significant
speed to negotiate this type of terrain and in
most respects that is due to the trailer acting as a
‘dead-weight’ on your tow vehicle.
“OzX uses bespoke settings like Sand and Mud
Assist, driving the wheels in a combination of
torque and speed control to actively drive the
trailer through mud and help the trailer plane-up
on sand, not dig in.
“When enabled, Hill Assist will allow you to rock-
crawl over extreme terrain typically experienced
exiting a river crossing or traversing a rocky
incline. Think of the trailer having either two
or 4WD capabilities with traction control and
electronic differential-lock. In combination with
your 4WD vehicle, you have an unstoppable
platform empowering the most adventurous of
adventurers."
SAFETY
The hybrid drive system has the added advantages
of real-time stability control, torque vectoring,
ABS and brake-blending, Huett said.
“Systems that would normally be of significant
cost, complexity and fragmented architecture are
now harmonised and embedded in the DNA of
hybrid drive,” he said.
Essentially, the system can replace the need
for traditional electric brakes and sway control
features.
“Features such as torque vectoring would add a
new level of controllability by braking one wheel
but driving the other so that both the vehicle and
the caravan have a responsibility to vector safely
in a new direction,” Huett said.
“In some countries, break-away systems are
compulsory and avert an uncontrolled trailer
from spearing into oncoming traffic at speed.
OzX’s hybrid system immediately recognises
a breakaway situation and applies braking,
indicating and undertaking a controlled
deceleration process.”
ENERGY MANAGEMENT
According to Andrew Huett, the hybrid-drive
system is “affordable, practical, and transposes
to your domestic requirements once you reach
your destination”.
An added benefit of the onboard 16kW/h battery
is the ability for the van to become entirely gas-
less. All power functions that were otherwise
powered by gas can be powered instead by
battery.
“It is both impractical commercially and weight-
wise to make the trailer fully electric-driven; that
is, fitted with greater than 80kW/h of battery.
However, most of the benefits of an electric-drive
system can be realised by making a hybrid-drive
system that utilises a smarter energy management
system,” Huett said.
“To that end, our customers can plan their trip and
our systems maximise their return-on-investment
by saving maximum fuel, maximising the driving
experience or a blend of several attributes,
including re-charging from an EV charge point.
Further, prior to arrival to destination, you will
be fully recharged to ensure your camping
experience is supported with a 5kW inverter
married to a 16kW/h battery pack."
He said that when set-up at a destination, it was
possible to recover 1500 to 2200kW of solar
energy. OzX Corp has jointly coordinated a
caravan rooftop design that would support the
necessary amount of solar panels.
“Running your air-conditioner, cooking on an
induction cooktop, and even make use of the
power to run a mobile coffee business, is all now
possible on this gas-less hybrid drive platform,”
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