The heat dissipation is a very serious problem in electric vehicles, especially referring to the temperatures of batteries and fast battery chargers. Concerning this, patent proposals by BMW concern external cooling elements, with large fins that exploit the race air to dissipate the heat transmitted to them by the elements hosted inside: motor, battery or control unit. It is a solution that might be used also as heat exchanger for some liquid-cooled elements. So, it would really be bingo: on one hand the cooling, on the other hand maintaining those two opposite cylinders that are a distinguishing element for BMW.
Novelties in pure synchronous reluctance motor ambit
As energy costs climb, the need for the highest level of energy-efficient pumping equipment has never been more critical. Nidec Motor Corp. has responded to that demand by introducing SynRA™, an innovative, patent-pending synchronous motor.
The SynRA variable frequency motor provides the starting benefit of an induction motor, the operating benefit of a pure synchronous reluctance motor, and suitability benefit from the simple volts/hz drive.
When paired with the ID300 Perfectspeed™ integrated drive, the new motor offers high efficiencies for industrial and commercial pumping and Hvac equipment – with ratings at IE 4 and IE 5.
In addition to significant energy savings, this new technology from Nidec’s U.S. Motors® brand offers the advantage of easy motor replacement, without having to install an entirely new system and controls, saving time and money.
The unique design gives the freedom to replace components individually instead of the entire system, leading to a lower cost of maintenance
The synchronous reluctance rotor with an aluminum cage design is magnet-free, allowing for easy programming and compatibility with existing Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs). The SynRA™ motor is also available already fully integrated with Nidec’s ID300 PerfectSpeed.
The aero-taxi by AutoFlight has passed the first transition test
Great success for the first recent transition flight test of Prosperity aero-taxi with vertical take-off by the Chinese company AutoFlight, which has risen to an altitude of 150 metres, reaching a maximum speed of 198 km/h. A transition occurs when a plane moves from a vertical to a horizontal motion and it is one of the most committing parts for an eVTOL.
The vertical test flight of the Prosperity I concept has needed eight rotors to lift the 1,500 kg of the electric aircraft into the air. Once the plane has reached an altitude of 150 metres and the relative speed of 160-170 km/h, the fixed-wing part of the eVTOL has generated a lift. In this stage, Prosperity I has entered the transition phase: top rotors have stopped turning and are blocked in an aerodynamic position whereas rear propellers have pushed the aircraft forward as a conventional fixed-wing aircraft.
However, let us go back to the plane: Prosperity I is an innovative eVTOL with declared autonomy of 250 km at a maximum cruise speed of 200 km/h. The design is lift & cruise, with the passenger pod surmounted by a pair of big wings, equipped with long propulsion pods.
AutoFlight hopes to obtain the certification with both the Chinese CAAC and with the European EASA within 2025 to perform the function it has been designed for: short transfers among city zones, transfers to the airport and connections between two neighbouring cities, so avoiding the road traffic. It is estimated that a travel taking hours by car will be reduced to about 10 minutes with eVTOL, without being less safe or more expensive than a taxi ride.
Testing facilities: innovation in UK
MAHLE Powertrain has announced the completion of two new facilities in Northampton, the result of a £15m (US$18m) investment over the last five years.
The purpose-built facilities allow MAHLE Powertrain to support customers with the development of decarbonized propulsion technologies, with a focus on mobility, safe testing of vehicles, batteries, and hydrogen technologies under extreme simulated environmental conditions.
The center was declared open for business by Andrew Lewer, MP for Northampton South.
«We’re extremely proud of our new test facilities which complement our end-to-end development process – said Simon Reader, MAHLE Powertrain’s managing director – As the industry accelerates the development of a new generation of vehicles that will offer carbon-neutral solutions for the transport sector, it creates a huge demand for testing facilities. Our new center has been designed with both battery and future-fuelled vehicles in mind and provides a spread of capabilities that is almost unique anywhere in the world».
The new Vehicle Development Centre (VDC) allows manufacturers to test both two and four-wheel-drive vehicles in a variety of conditions and circumstances, without international travel. The facility can replicate the conditions of arctic climates, deserts, tropical rainforests and mountainous regions. The facility also supports the testing of hydrogen-fuelled technologies by monitoring and safely venting any escaping gases.
Andrew Lewer, MP for Northampton South, said: «I’m delighted to be able to declare this important new facility open for business. MAHLE Powertrain’s investment recognizes the huge wealth of engineering talent in this country, and this region in particular – a stone’s throw from the heart of British motorsport – with 160 skilled technicians and engineers already employed at the site».
Vitesco stakes on synchronous electric motors with external excitation
Great technological novelties: Vitesco Technologies has presented its new electric synchronous motor with external excitation, which does not need the use of expensive metals or rare earths. The unit was designed to ensure high efficiency and high travel speed, ideal to be used on electric vehicles featuring high-performances or long distances.
PMS (Permanent Magnet Synchronous) motors contain magnets made of expensive, and not always easily provisioned, rare earths. Together with this drawback, Vitesco highlights also the fact that electric vehicles are evolving quickly and are improving in terms of performances. Instead of magnets, electric synchronous motors with external excitation have some coils that do not need rare earths.
The new line of such Vitesco motors has been implemented with power electronics included and it is compatible with transmission systems manufactured by the company itself.
Schaeffler: 4in1 electric axle
Schaeffler is simultaneously launching several new electric axle drives. «Electric axles are a key element of our electric mobility strategy», said Matthias Zink, CEO Automotive Technologies at Schaeffler AG. Until now, up to three drive components were assembled in one compact unit. With the so-called 4in1 electric axle, Schaeffler is now going one step further by integrating the thermal management system as well as the electric motor, power electronics, and transmission into the axle drive. This makes the axle drive more compact and lighter and ensures greater comfort. A particularly efficient thermal management system also ensures that a car travels further on one battery charge and charges faster. Another new development are electric beam axles for pick-up trucks.
In the future, Schaeffler will supply beam axles to automobile manufacturers, particularly in North America.
Of its 4in1 electric axle with an integrated thermal management system, Schaffler can achieve an even higher efficiency level of the complete system. An efficiency level of up to 96 percent is possible in an optimally designed system. Each additional percentage point translates into an increased range.
With its 4in1 electric axle, Schaeffler is developing its most comprehensive drive system for electric cars so far. Nevertheless, the company will continue to offer to its customers individual components and subsystems for electric and hybrid drives such as electric motors, transmissions, bearings, and the thermal management system.
The company plays to its special strengths in the production of electric axles: Schaeffler is well versed in the production of individual components through to high-precision manufacturing methods such as stamping individual stator laminations for electric motors and the winding of rotors using innovative wave winding, for example.
The role of the electric motor in the district heating
Among its proposals, Nidec can boast the three-phase motors for normal applications IMfinity® platform, with IE3 – IE4 efficiency class, systematically fitted with a second nameplate giving all the necessary information to set up the drive as well as the main motor performance used in variable speed.
Concerning this, among the latest novelties, the IMFinity® FLSES 600 kW IE4 motor is equipped in the new heat pumps with Turboden, providing energy maximization with the recovery of energy, for district heating in the city of Brescia.
By exploiting the great availability of residual heat from the metallurgy furnace of the O.R.I. Martin, from Brescia, the new heat pump will be able to inject excess heat into the district heating network. A great technological advance, allowing a welcome energy maximization in the global effort to reduce our energy consumption.
E-motors India: here is the TSRF technology
Let us move to India to understand what is boiling in the pot in the electric manufacturing of a Country that is proving a higher turmoil than what expected. Badve Engineering company, a Tier-1 automotive manufacturer based has recently established a partnership with the Israeli startup EVR Motors versus a strategic commercial agreement to manufacture electric motor technology for India’s rapidly growing two-and-three-wheeler electric vehicle market, which constitutes around 90% of the Indian electric vehicles market.
Precisely to deal with the growing demand, EVR motors has developed a unique patented motor topology: the Trapezoidal Stator Radial Flux Permanent Magnet.
Under the new strategic partnership, Badve Group will manufacture in India EVR’s proprietary Trapezoidal Stator – RFPM electric motors, which measure half the weight and size of competing electric motors yet claim high power and torque performance.
The TSRF technology is said to be distinctive because of its lightweight and compact design. The proprietary TS Topology has a unique trapezoidal tooth shape core structure, which improves flux distribution, reduces leakage, and gives superior heat dissipation with good thermal capacity. The TS topology can be tailored for a wide variety of requirements and enable multiple variations based on the same design and tooling. The air-cooled motor for two-wheeler application weighs under 7kg, has a diameter of 130mm and is said to be a perfect fit for Indian electric two-wheeler applications. The modular voltage range is between 48- 96V.
Industrial energy saving opportunities for motor-driven systems
Upgrading to energy efficient technology is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to lower energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Across the world’s 300 million industrial motor-driven systems, there is potential to cut global electricity demand by up to 10 percent by switching to high-efficiency systems.
A new digital service from ABB will enable industrial operators to maximize energy efficiency and boost su-stainability by identifying motor-driven equipment in their facilities with the best energy-saving potential. The ABB Ability Digital Powertrain Energy Appraisal service will draw on data measured from fleets of digitally connected electric motors and variable speed drives (VSDs) to show where and how much energy can be saved by upgrading to the latest high-efficiency technologies. Industrial operators can then make data-driven decisions when prioritizing investments.
Adrian Guggisberg, Division President of ABB Motion Services said: «The challenge for an industrial operator is knowing where to start in a fleet of hundreds of electrical motors. ABB developed the new Digital Power-train Energy Appraisal service to provide clarity by analyzing motor data and identifying where businesses should focus investment to maximize energy efficiency gains that reduce operating costs and CO2 emissions».
One operator that is reaping the benefits is Waggeryd Cell, a pulp mill in southern Sweden with industry-leading energy efficiency. It wanted to further improve the efficiency of its energy-intensive process by buil-ding on its ABB Ability Condition Monitoring system. This draws data from digitally-connected motors in re-finers, process pumps, fans and conveyor belts. Under the new Digital Powertrain Energy Appraisal service, ABB’s experts used data from the same sources to identify the ten motors with the most potential for improving energy efficiency. Waggeryd has now prioritized replacement of six of these motors to cut energy consumption, as well as greenhouse gas emissions.
The new digital appraisal service uses a plug and play approach to simplify energy efficiency assessments by pulling operational data remotely from across an entire fleet of digitally connected motors.
Metals to make electric motors. What future?
According to a study published by the Belgian University KU Leuven and commissioned by the European association of non-ferrous metal manufacturers Eurometaux, the transition towards sustainability will need 33% of aluminium more by 2050 versus current consumptions, owing to the bigger demand driven by electric vehicles, photovoltaic and development of electric networks.
The consequence? In Europe, around 2030, some problems might emerge because of the global provisioning shortage of metals, especially of lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths and copper, while the demand will reach the peak by 2040 approximately.
Let us go into the specific detail. European Union Countries will need a higher quantity of metals than today: 35% of additional copper will be necessary, 45% more silicon, whereas the supplies of nickel are expected to rise by 103% and cobalt ones by 330%. Not to mention the European demand for lithium, whose requirement will be higher by 3535% and of rare earths like dysprosium, needed with +2666% and neodymium, with +827%.
KU Leuven experts state domestic mines could potentially satisfy from 5% to 55% of the European requirements of metals for the energy transition in 2030.
What is the solution? On the medium-long term, recycling will be the key that will allow solving partly these problems along the provisioning chain.