The doubts about the autonomy, the weight, the cost and the use practicality of vehicles with electric motors lead to pay great attention to the development of more efficient, lighter and more compact batteries, electric motors and power electronics, which operate at higher voltages and allows the fast charge in DC.
“A clear target to be reached is these systems’ weight reduction and to achieve this result it is necessary to increase the efficiency of powertrain components and, in the case of the storage system, the density of stored energy. Concerning this, the new slot liner by Solvay, Ajedium™ PEEK allows satisfying the fundamental requisites in the design of electric motors but with the use of notably decreased thicknesses”, explained Stefano Montani, Marketing Manager Transportation at Solvay, Structural materials and Fuel Cell BOP.
This solution gives the possibility of notably increasing electric motors’ efficiency and consequently of reducing their weight, not only in terms of the component itself but of system as well.
“Until now, the materials used for the electric motors’ slot insulation have been mainly papers or paper laminates and films. One of the main drawbacks of this kind of solution is the strict hindrance on the thickness of the material itself. With the rise of the system voltage to 800 Volts and the adoption of the SiC technology for the power electronics, the resulting thickness with non-optimal materials is excessive, limiting the electric motor’s thermal and energy performances and, consequently, of the whole system, Stefano Montani added. Primary requisites are the following: maximizing the slot filling factor, minimizing the thermal resistance and allowing a better heat extraction from the system, supplying a suitable electric insulation and granting the electric motor’s expected service life. “In short, Ajedium™ PEEK has the potential of decreasing both the mass of the electric motor and the battery one. These systems’ mass reduction is enabled by the use of thinner PEEK slot coatings than thicker paper or laminate materials such as NKN”, the Manager of Solvay ended.
