Thursday, March 28, 2024

Converting buses to electric

Equipmake presents the last generation of its Zero Emission Drivetrain (ZED), an advanced electric battery powertrain, designed and developed from scratch to offer a green and cost-effective urban mobility.
Fully scalable and modular, ZED can be applied to any bus, from the single to the double-decker bus. Due to the electric motor, to the inverter and the power electronics in-house developed by Equipmake and which maintain an optimal operational temperature, combined with the latest lithium-ion batteries, the advanced technology of ZED assures high efficiency.
The electric HTM 3500 motor by Equipmake is perfectly integrated into the transmission shaft, without needing a separate transmission, and it has been designed with precision to satisfy the challenging requirements of a bus at full load, producing a torque of 3,500 Nm at a motor speed of just 1,000 rpm and delivering a maximum power of 400 kW.
Already used by operators worldwide, from London to Buenos Aires, ZED by Equipmake can share in decreasing local emissions in urban environments, in improving the air quality and in decreasing management costs for users and operators.

BorgWarner and onsemi, strategies in inverters for higher performances

BorgWarner will integrate 1200 and 750 V power devices of EliteSiC series by onsemi in its own Viper power modules for traction inverters, specifically ideated to enhance electric vehicles’ performances. The collaboration between the two players was born just for silicon carbide devices (SiC): the signed agreement – the companies announce – will generate profits exceeding one billion Euros in the lapse of its own duration. onsemi supplies the products of high-performance EliteSiC range assuring the high standards, in terms of quality, reliability and supply continuity demanded by the market of traction for electric vehicles.
“onsemi’s strategy that provides for unceasing investments aimed at increasing the manufacturing capacity of SiC devices by exploiting its own end-to-end supply chain – underlined Stefan Demmerle, vice president of BorgWarner and President and General Manager of the PowerDrive Systems division – grants us the possibility of going on supporting the steeply rising demand for our solutions, both now and in the future”.
Silicon carbide traction inverters by BorgWarner already at present grant more efficiency, higher cooling performances and faster recharge speeds. Thanks to the use of EliteSic technology, the solutions by BorgWarner will be characterized by even higher power density and efficiency levels, with consequent increment of both the autonomy and the overall performances of electric vehicles.
“The integration of EliteSic technology into traction inverters allows increasing electric vehicles’ energy efficiency – affirmed Simon Keeton, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Power Solutions Group of onsemi – contributing to mitigating the fuelling anxiety, one of the major hindrances to the adoption of electric vehicles.

Additive manufacturing, windings in DC motors

3d rendering 3d printer with injector nozzle

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle LLC for the US Department of Energy, has recently released the news of its research into applying additive manufacturing to replace windings in DC motors.
The basic question is: “Can we 3D print an electric motor”?
The answer that comes from Tennessee in the United States is “Maybe yes for one vital component of it: the rotor”. That possibility holds important promise for better motor performance. Amiee Jackson, researcher with Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility has spoken of producing rotors via laser powder bed fusion. The engineer explained that rotors are usually made by winding a conductive alloy; changing the alloy composition to improve motor performance impedes manufacturing, because that change reduces the ductility that is important for winding. So, by offering a way to print the rotor with no winding involved, additive manufacturing potentially solves this problem.

The investments by Mercedes for axial-flux motors

Der Mercedes-Benz Standort Berlin-Marienfelde erweitert sein elektrisches Produktportfolio kĂĽnftig um die Montage von Ultra-High-Performance Axialflusselektromotoren von YASA. The Mercedes-Benz site in Berlin will expand its electric product portfolio to include the assembly of ultra-high-performance YASA axial-flux electric motors

Last summer, Mercedes took over Yasa, British company that produces axial-flux motors. Recent news reveal that the Berlin factory is planning to widen its plant to host a new production line intended for Yasa motors, super-compact and super-efficient units. Works will be accomplished in six years and need an investment exceeding 100 million Euros. Moreover, the work opportunity was seized on the fly also to build the Digital Factory Campus, a structure intended for the development and optimization of new software applications in the ambit of the MO360 programme: pioneering technologies already in advanced implementation phase that in 2022 will start the pre-production.
These last moves clearly show that the Berlin structure for Mercedes is a real focus centre for its digital systems and its electric powertrains.
Jorg Burzer from Mercedes, declared: «The transformation of the automotive industry is more evident in our Berlin site than in any other Mercedes-Benz factory. The shifting from a production site for conventional drive components into a competence centre for the digitalization and the production in the electric mobility field is a significant step for us. With the production of high-performance electric motors, Berlin factory will become a fundamental pillar of the sustainable electrification strategy by Mercedes-Benz».

UL certification of insulation systems: inaugurated FAET Italian laboratory

Last October 3rd, in the prestigious venue of Golf Club at Tolcinasco (Milan), was held the first workshop signed by FAET, a meeting aimed at establishing a connection among the OEM world companies interested in the UL certification of the components for insulation systems equipping electric motors.

Mark Raymond, principal Engineer-Ul, illustrated the highlights of the specific Sealed Tube Chemical Compatibility Testing

Spotlights were cast on the new FAET laboratory, on Third Party Test Data Program and on all related advantages for sector players, an ambit that is calling for higher and higher performances. As DuPont perfectly knows, company that during the meeting reported various case histories (by Roger C. Wicks, Global Technical Marketing Manager), as well as UL that, through the speech by the American Mark Raymond, one of the major experts in insulation systems in the world, illustrated the highlights of the specific Sealed Tube Chemical Compatibility Testing.

Roger C. Wicks, Global Technical Marketing Manager- DuPont

Since today, in the up-to-date structure at Rozzano (Mi), FAET can in fact test whether the mix of the various components inside the insulation system is appropriate and then it can achieve the UL certification.

Silvio Cattinzoli, Quality System & Technical Manager of FAET

The details of the accomplishment of this important partnership were finally explained by Silvio Cattinzoli, Quality System & Technical Manager of FAET, who underlined how it is strategic to supply, in the whole Mediterranean basin, an added-value service to customers that so benefit from not being compelled to directly interfacing with UL.

Gabriele Guidi, Ceo and owner of FAET

 

«We are speeding up an important phase for FAET and UL, in the name of insulation systems’ safety. We hope this workshop is the first of a long series because companies increasingly need information, dialogue and aggregation» – the Ceo and owner of FAET, Gabriele Guidi, stated at the event start.