worlds

The world’s first 100% electric valuables transporting armored vehicle was launched this month and will circulate without polluting gas emissions, which is equipped with WEG Powertrain system, which consists of a 330 kW electric motor in addition to the automotive frequency drive. The prototype was designed by Grupo Protégé, in partnership with Eletra, responsible for the project engineering, integration and development. 

With a range of 75 kilometers, a full recharge time of 2h30 and zero emission of polluting gases, the vehicle, when in operation, will have the battery system continuously recharged by regenerative braking technology. Besides extending its autonomy, this technology consumes less electricity for supply. 

One of the main benefits provided by the electric vehicle is the positive impact to the environment. The average reduction in carbon emissions will be about 1.4 tons of CO² per month. Inspired by the automobile industry evolution and the manufacture of electric buses and trucks, the electric money-transporting vehicle is powered by a WEG Powertrain, where the only source of energy is a battery bank, installed on board the vehicle. 

Replacing diesel with purely electric traction will also allow reduction of operating costs, Grupo Protege expects a 65% reduction in the amount spent per km driven. In addition to fuel savings, another potential advantage that will be studied in the trial project is the vehicle’s operational performance, since the electric traction system requires less maintenance downtime.

With extensive know-how in the supply of electric traction systems for trucks, buses, trolleybuses, trains and boats, WEG is now including in its portfolio another important electric mobility project. “This is another key project for our consolidation as a supplier of powertrain for a wide variety of applications and different types of electric vehicles”, says Manfred Peter Johann, Managing Director of WEG Automation Business Unit. 

During the past 18 months, experts from Grupo Protege, together with Eletra Industrial, invested more than R$ 1 million on the development of the armored electric vehicle. The entire project design was intended to promote sustainability and be regarded as an alternative for the coming years. The model was structured in an armored chassis that was no longer in use, reducing environmental impact and encouraging the reuse of parts. All components that were not included in the new project, such as a diesel engine, were sent to be recycled. The new layout was also designed to provide higher security level, mobility and comfort to the security guard team. 

“This is a long-term vision project that is in line with a global trend of providing solutions with less environmental impact”, says Marcelo Baptista de Oliveira, President of Grupo Protege. “In addition to generating zero gas emissions and investing in 100% national technology, we retrofitted an old chassis and sent the existing diesel engine and transmission system for proper recycling.”