In these days AIM EV Sport 01 is making its debut, the prototype of sports car by AIM brand, OEM company operating since 1998 and whose primary mission is the development of engines in endurance races, fully electric, designed by the renowned Shiro Nakamura, already author of iconic Nissan models.
With an electric 600 HP motor and a weight of just 1,500 kg, which supplies a maximum power of 489 HP, the car stands out for the exclusive design and the attention to the driving pleasure and to agility. The project provides for two electric motors for 600 HP in all, but at present there are no detailed information about the battery. However, it seems that due to the total weight of about 1,500 kg, an autonomy of around 300 km is foreseen.
According to what reported by the company, AIM EV Sport 01 has been created to show the company’s skills and motors but the enthusiasm aroused might lead AIM to manufacture a standard car.
AIM EV Sport 01, from the Japan the electric concept car by an OEM
Incoming the new electric motor for commercial vehicles
Its production will start in 2024 and its mission will be powering a broad variety of hybrid and electric applications in the ambit of commercial vehicles. We are speaking of Hvh 320 electric motor, the newly born in the High voltage hairpin (Hvh) range by BorgWarner, equipped with 800-volt capacity and available in four variants.
«The addition of Hvh 320 to our family of electric motors –Stefan Demmerle, president and general manager of BorgWarner PowerDrive Systems, explained – strengthens the offer and it is an excellent example of our commitment to supplying green forefront propulsion technologies that satisfy the market requirements, significantly shortening the recharge time for a real turning point in the world of electric commercial vehicles».
If Abarth becomes electric, too …
When real icons announce the switch to electric, there is no room for abouts about the collective motion in course. They have recently presented the Abarth Nuova 500e Scorpionissima, limited edition that joins unmistakable style and electric power. 1949 units are available, with exclusive graphics and a numbered authenticity certificate. Its performances can make it arrive in 7 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h due to the 155 HP supplied by the electric motor, powered by a 42-kWh battery. The manufacturer has explained that, by recharging it, just five minutes wiIl be sufficient to achieve an autonomy of 40 km in half an hour, to recharge it up to 80%.
It seems that soon other electric Abarths will join the range to make one of the major sports brands of Stellantis galaxy more appealing.
Moreover, it seems that more powerful 500e are coming and therefore Fiat and Abarth are working at new powertrains to achieve an Abarth exceeding 155 HP and 235 Nm.
What about the roar of the motor that has always characterized Abarths? The unmistakable “voice” of 1.4 turbo-petrol is artificially reproduced by a suitable sound generator.
Slot to increase the electric motor’s efficiency
The designers of electric motors are constantly researching efficient insulation solutions that can provide more efficiency, cost reduction, and sustainability. The new slot liner in Ajedium™ Paek has been developed to satisfy all these criteria. The Ajedium™ Paek slot liner joins the current Ajedium™Peek slot liners, devised for the insulation of electric 800-Volt motors. As communicated by Roberta Colombo, Marketing Manager Electrical Power Grid of Syensqo, was recently born thanks to the extraordinary assembly of Solvay shareholders and 99.53% of positive votes.
PAEK slot liners use AvaSpire® PAEK material, which offers a chemical composition resembling PEEK. Similarly to Ajedium™ PEEK slot liners, Ajedium™ Paek creates the potential to increase the electric motor’s efficiency by 2%. The efficiency increase is the direct result of the use of a thinner slot liner, which allows a higher filling than the copper slot, improving the heat transfer and reducing the electric resistance, meanwhile reaching the electric insulation and the duration of the electric motor. “The rise of electric motor efficiency in the order of 1% enables a weight saving from 7.5 to 15 kg and an economic saving from $ 66 to $ 159 for each electric motor. The use of Ajedium™ PAEK slot coating can also lead to a reduction of CO2 emission”, Colombo declared.
The new electric design motorbike is coming
The new FSD 59 motorbike, designed by the famous Frank Stephenson, star signature for automotive brands, has a concept that embraces the aerodynamic research and new materials. Result of a rigorous and creative process that has implied the experimentation of various architectures and technologies in the field of motorbikes with electric powertrain, FSD 59 is equipped with an electric motor that offers high performances and efficiency. It is a bike sculpted by the airflow with possibility of application in the real world. The bike was born on a monocoque platform with a modular battery and proposes a dynamic regulation of the corner of the windshield, a man-machine interface enabled for the augmented reality and a one-piece fairing.
Multi-business collaboration for the innovative electric seaplane
Equipmake, a developer of electrified products, has supplied one of its electric transmission systems for the electric SpiritBARTech35E seaplane manufactured by Spirit Yachts and BAR Technologies.
The motor supplied for the project is a tailored HPM-400, fully electric and light with integrated gearbox able to generate a peak power of 80kW.
The e-drivetrain includes also the IGBT HPI-450 inverter by Equipmake and a customized 120kWh battery pack.
Companies have presented the SpiritBARTech35EF as a 10.6 m electric seaplane and, first ship of its kind, with a fast cruising range of 100 nautical miles.
“In the name of all at Equipmake, I am proud of having played a key role with Spirit Yachts and BAR Technologies in this astonishing electric seaplane, which really establishes new standards for long-range electric vessels “, stated Ian Foley, CEO of Equipmake. “Our in-house developed electrification technology has many high-performance applications, from aerospace to automotive, and SpiritBARTech35EF is the perfect showcase of how it can be applied to the steeply rising electric marine market “.
New steps towards electric boating
A motor that represents a development element for electric boating? Wave 300 was presented, an outboard motor with a power of around 300 HP, powered at 680 V, particularly advanced from the technological point of view and developed by Explomar, brand of Qingbo Exploration Energy Technology Co, company that is developing a project for the creation of hydrogen fuel cells.
Despite its 300 HP, WAVE 300 weighs 180 kg and has a modulable powertrain, with the quantity of variable HEDB – High Energy Density Lithium Batteries, which can be selected by users according to their autonomy requirements.
The cooling system is entrusted to a closed circuit that avoids the contact of whatever internal component of the motor with the sea water, protecting it against corrosive phenomena. The Chinese manufacturer’s promise is a very competitive price on the European market, too.
Gordon Murray Group: investments towards advanced innovative electric vehicles
Professor Gordon Murray, South African engineer, former designer of Formula cars, has recently announced a notable expansion plan for the next five years and relative investment– amounting to £300M – for its future growth.
The last creature born from its Gordon Murray Automotive, founded in 2007, is the supercar T.50 and today his focus addresses electrification more than ever: new division Gordon Murray Electronics being created to help entire Group put sharper focus on designing and engineering advanced innovative electric vehicles. Moreover, the ambitious expansion includes significant investment in Gordon Murray Design; the globally leading design and engineering business is already in the early phases of creating a revolutionary, lightweight, ultra-efficient electric vehicle architecture for future urban passenger vehicles and delivery vans.
Gordon Murray Design is also directing substantial investment towards a “superlight” Research and Development facility to further progress weight and complexity reduction of both vehicle architectures and manufacturing processes. An additional facility at Dunsfold, Surrey is being planned to manufacture “superlight” frames for Gordon Murray Design, and Gordon Murray Automotive vehicle programmes.
A new business unit, Gordon Murray Electronic which is being formed by newly appointed CEO Richie Sibal, will support GMD in developing advanced electrified powertrains for global automotive manufacturers and technology companies.
«While recently – stated Professor Gordon Murray, Chairman Gordon Murray Group – the global spotlight has been on Gordon Murray Automotive and the T.50 models there has been extensive progress and developments made within the wider Group. Today we are taking this to a new level announcing new investments, a strengthening of our leadership team, enhanced R&D, a new Division and a reaffirmation of our philosophy. Core competencies that differentiate us and set us apart in the industry as we build the Group to meet the challenges of the future. “The Gordon Murray Group has a clear mission: pushing automotive and technology boundaries to be the best there is. These new developments are dedicated to pursuing this ambitious agenda. We are building a philosophy and enhancing a team for increased growth and future success, staying true to our vision».
The Gordon Murray Group is set to move its global headquarters to a new site in Windlesham, Surrey, UK where a new technology campus, Heritage and Customer Centre, and bespoke design and engineering facilities are being created. Construction will commence in July 2021 and the first facilities will be ready in 2022, with the entire project completed in 2024.
eVTOL, the first by Autoflight delivered
The high-tech Autoflight start-up has delivered its first eVTOL aircraft, the five-seater Prosperity, to an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) player in Japan, which will make it fly on the occasion of the Osaka World Expo in 2025. In another recent milestone for the eVTOL innovator, AutoFlight’s CarryAll aircraft, the cargo variant of Prosperity, obtained Type Certification (TC) from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on March 22, 2024. This marks the world’s first eVTOL aircraft above one ton to have been awarded type certification.
“The official delivery of the first Prosperity to a customer signifies a new chapter for AutoFlight as we begin to ship our innovative electric aircraft to global markets. Additionally, on the cargo side the receipt of orders for over 200 CarryAll planes already demonstrates a very strong market demand for our products”, said Tian Yu, founder and co-chairman of AutoFlight.
In February, AutoFlight presented the world’s first inter-city electric air taxi demonstration flight between the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. AutoFlight’s Prosperity aircraft completed the significant milestone by autonomously flying the 50 km (31 miles) route from Shenzhen to Zhuhai. The flight across the Pearl River Delta took just 20 minutes, a journey that would require three hours by car. This achievement marks the world’s first public flight of an eVTOL aircraft on a cross-sea and inter-city route.
The advantages of electric motors for anti-frost fans: agriculture thanks, too
Established in 2008, Aria is one of the primary Italian companies specialized in the design and manufacturing of mini-wind turbines. Recently, the company has understood that in agriculture the electric motor can prove to be a great ally and provide various advantages in comparison with the endothermal motor and they have so developed the Antifrost 3-22 fan, driven by an electric motor without transmission gears.
Due to its optimized three-blade rotor, directly coupled with a state-of-the-art permanent magnet electric motor, the anti-frost fan assures a high speed of the airflow. Instead of increasing the rotor’s size or using more and more powerful, and then more expensive and polluting, motors, the team of engineers has chosen adopting a green silent technology that, concentrating the airflow, makes it more powerful, reaching a maximum coverage of 5 hectares.
The electric motor and the absence of mechanical transmission gears eliminate the problems caused by months of stop, so reducing maintenance costs, on the contrary relevant in case of endothermal motor.
The electric motor also involves operational advantages: with the conventional technology, machines orient themselves at random and, in many cases, airflows obstruct one another, whereas it is possible to synchronize the rotation of more machines in the same field, in order to keep the orientation of each of them always aligned with all others’.