News

The Automotive Industry Drives Sustainability

Posted on 31st January 2023

The days of viewing the powertrain as a system on its own are gone. As the 21st CTI Symposium in Berlin showed, the challenges even extend well beyond the vehicle itself. Software and networking play an increasingly central role; circular economy and social responsibility are extending the responsibilities of OEMs and suppliers; and competition for the best drive technology is ongoing. Download the Event Report and read more about CTI Symposium Germany 2022.

 

European Electrification Outlook to 2035

Posted on 18th January 2023

The fragmented situation around the world

A. Saboor Imran and Romain Gillet, S&P Global Mobility (formerly IHS Markit | Automotive)

The regional propulsion mix is a subject of multi-dimensional, complex, and interrelatedness with various sensitivities. It is based on factors such as compliance, regulations, policies, industry perspective, consumer behaviour, and technology developments.

Propulsion strategies are now governed by an increasingly complex set of interactions and influences whose impacts vary across the regions. The aim is to speed up the transition to electric cars and fight climate change. To that end, three regions (EU28, Mainland China, USA) have adopted some stringent regulations for the years to come, leading to more rapid changes within the local powertrain trends. In order to comply, carmakers competing in these markets, have to roll out specific product strategies relying essentially on electrification.

The deviation of BEV across these regions is immensely different based on each local factor. By the end of this decade, the EU BEV rate is projected to reach more than 60%, whereas Greater China would be close to 50%. North America is also catching up with the pace of the EU and Greater China in electrification adoption. So far, the expected production share is around 40%. However, at the global level, we will likely observe a 2-speed electrification development, with those three regions being far ahead of the others due to the lack of stringent regulation elsewhere.

As a consequence, the latest volume projection anticipates more than half of the Global light vehicle production to be Electric cars as soon as the early years of the next decade

Source: S&P Global Powertrain production forecast September 2022
*ICE Based PWT = Internal Combustion Engine + Mild Hybrids + Full Hybrids

Focus on EU – The projected impact of the revised regulation outlook

In Europe, the predominant factor behind this massive shift is the regulatory framework. The European convergence towards electrified powertrains is the result of two types of legislation:

• CO2 reduction, trajectory to mitigate climate change
• Pollutant Emission standards, to tackle the local pollution matters

Following the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) CO2 framework revision with the introduction of more stringent targets in 2020, each Carmaker will further see their specific targets being revised downwards again for 2025 and 2030 with -15% and -55%, respectively. Consequently, the powertrain strategies favor BEV adoption as it would not be possible for carmakers to comply without a high level of electric cars within their fleets. Furthermore, with the recent decision by the European Union that carmakers should achieve a 100% cut in their CO2 emissions by 2035, there is no other way for the OEMs but to scaling-up on electric vehicles.

Source: S&P Global Mobility Powertrain Production September 2022

Zero-emission technologies to decarbonize mobility

From the projected production outlook, around one in four cars produced in 2025 will be electric before  accelerating strongly in the second half of the decade to reach almost two in three by 2030 to provide enough BEVs to the relevant markets to comply with the CAFE targets. This massive volume growth will also be supported by a substantial ramp-up of dedicated BEV platforms to underpin these new vehicles. Therefore, this complete shift in the regional propulsion mix will materialize by a tipping point in 2029, where BEV will become the leading technology against all the other ICE-based configurations.

In order to reach zero-emission fleets by 2035, Fuel Cells (FCEV) could also be a viable alternative to BEVs, featuring tailpipe zero-emission as well. However, projected volumes are still minimal within the forecast horizon as certain challenges remain to scale the hydrogen powertrain properly. The critical drawback here is certainly the lack of existing infrastructure, and it would prove to be an immense challenge to have widespread H2 availability for passenger cars. Also, to contribute to the industry decarbonization path, mobility would need to get access to a low-carbon Hydrogen ecosystem that did not reach the required scale so far. That being said, it should not prevent some pilot programs from being launched (fueled by hydrogen produced by natural gas reforming), particularly in the light commercial vehicle area, which probably offers the best business case for FCEV at the moment in Europe.

As for eFuels, even if focusing a lot of attention recently, the current EU regulatory framework does not offer a clear route as it is not considered a zero-emission technology within the existing EU mandate. On top of that, other industries (aviation, MHCV, off-highway) will likely rely on these developments as part of their decarbonization roadmaps, eventually creating a certain form of competition leading to limited car availability. E-Fuels could anyway have a potential market in motorsport and accelerate the Vehicles-in-operation decarbonization in some markets.

On the other hand, some remaining conventional powertrain shares would remain almost flat from 2029 onwards, primarily driven by some Eastern European production activities (Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkey) and not being destined for EU markets. Indeed, as clear roadmaps for electrification do not exist yet in these markets and in light of the latest geopolitical developments, CIS operations will become more isolated, following its path, with foreseeable very limited electrified volumes within the next 15 years.

Hybridized powertrains as bridging technologies alongside BEVs

While electric cars will represent most of the volumes in the future, the transition period will definitely require alternative options. In waiting for the EV era to reach its full maturity in becoming the mainstream technology, hybrid powertrains (from mild hybrid to plug-In hybrid) must spread heavily across all segments to bring some form of electrification to almost all vehicles.

The hybrid powertrain portfolio will essentially consist of three different technologies – plug-In hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), full-hybrid vehicles (HEVs), and mild hybrid vehicles (MHEVs) – with various associated levels of cost and efficiency.

Once perceived as offering the best of both worlds, plug-in hybrids (PHEV) are now facing different headwinds that should eventually even question their availability on many nameplates. Indeed, while playing an essential short-term role as transition technology to bridge customers to the electric era, based on the latest developments, it appears that plug-in hybrids (PHEV) will eventually fall down quite shortly from 2025 onwards. The technology is expected to peak in the mid-decade before strongly ramping down. One of the reasons behind this quick demise is to remain competitive and comply with future regulations. Battery capacities must increase to achieve longer zero-emission ranges, driving additional costs.

Moreover, from the regulation point of view, the utility factor currently used for the homologation process must be revised around 2025 to reflect the real driving emission level better. Consequently, the certified CO2 figure will undoubtedly be adjusted upwards, jeopardizing the current PHEV benefit within OEM portfolios. Volumes should then reduce, still focusing almost exclusively on higher segments.

Source: S&P Global Powertrain Production forecast August 2022

In parallel, full-hybrid vehicles (HEV) will still represent an attractive technology for OEMs to reduce their average CO2, especially in mainstream segments. While it was initially mainly developed by very few Asian OEMs, more carmakers now rely on this technology for the remaining markets,  not transitioning to BEVs at the same cadence. There is also a potential for this technology in other markets (such as Asia and the U.S.A), offering some attractive product development synergies to better leverage the associated cost.

Last but not least, mild hybrid technologies provide a certain efficiency level with lower costs to ICEs. Therefore, it does offer opportunities for carmakers, suppliers, and customers before the complete death of ICE. While this technology alone would certainly not bring enough savings to comply with the new CO2 targets, in covering different features thanks to the 48V electric machine, it helps anyway to reduce emissions slightly. It will progressively become almost standard in Europe. Furthermore, to deal with the extended boundary conditions of the RDE (Real Driving Emission) procedure as part of the EU7 pollutant standard, cold starts compliance might require EHC (Electric Heated Catalyst) device for some powertrains. Hence, 48V systems are likely to be installed to fulfill the power demand, simultaneously creating opportunities for mild hybrid architectures.

Different architectures coexist, but volumes will still be driven by P0 systems in the future. Most of the EU7-compliant engine families should feature such systems as standard. However, some OEMs like Stellantis or Volkswagen will adopt different technology routes with, respectively, P2 and P0+P3a rollover for some of their upcoming platforms and vehicles. Another significant development is the eAWD 48V systems. Installing a 48V drive module on the rear axle, it brings an attractive opportunity to offer an all-wheel drive option also on platforms that were initially not designed for mechanical AWD. Typically Renault and Stellantis are the two groups exploring this technology with their CMF and CMP platforms, with P0+P4 and P2+P4 layouts, respectively.

Source: S&P Global Powertrain Production forecast August 2022

A tremendous challenge to the battery ecosystem

Source: S&P Global Powertrain Production forecast August 2022

Batteries are a key technology to successfully achieving the targets for decarbonization. As manufacturers rapidly move towards the growing electrified industry, more resources are put in place to make batteries more affordable, efficient, and available. Collaborations play a vital role between carmakers, battery cell manufacturers, start-ups, the auto industry, and mobility providers to strengthen Europe‘s fully electric future further.

As there will be associated risks due to the raw material availability, the right battery pack sizing approach must be adopted to mitigate the shortage threat. As greater efficiencies are achieved (thanks to improvements to energy density, thermal management, optimized cell chemistries, and advanced battery management systems to extend battery lifetime or also with the vehicle platform design), the average battery capacity trendline will tend to stabilize.

However, in parallel, in order to cover all areas of the market and to maintain a certain level of affordability for some vehicles, the range of combinations offered will be extended to both the higher and lower end. Other improvements, such as high voltage architectures, would improve charging time, peak power, copper usage, and the vehicle‘s overall weight.

At the global level, this will lead to a battery demand exceeding 3TWh in 2030. Carmakers are therefore striking deals with battery suppliers to ensure they can fulfill their targets. Battery cell production must increase, and this scale-up has resulted in a number of new facilities being built or existing ones repurposed as ‘Gigafactories’.

There are aspects of lithium-Ion batteries that must be considered and accounted for in the regulatory framework. As we move away from tailpipe emission monitoring towards a broader scope, it will be imperative that BEVs are adequately scrutinized. Concerns around mining emissions, lifetime energy usage and recyclability will likely be included in the new scope. These steps could help mitigate the geopolitical risks associated with the battery ecosystem.

Conclusions

For light vehicles, BEV will be the mainstream option to switch the EU market to zero-emission by 2035. Decarbonization roadmaps from various sectors require different solutions to fulfill each market constraints.

The transition period in Europe will be relatively short, a decade or thereabouts, this might take much longer in more cost-sensitive markets and where regulation is less severe. Although ICE-based powertrains will be phased-out rapidly in Europe, there is a potential to continue production for a considerable time, serving slower transitioning markets.

Europe aims to lead the transition towards net-zero mobility. Achieving these targets will be challenging for car manufacturers as this will require an optimized global carbon footprint based on a sustainable supply  chain in operating markets. The fight against climate change is only possible with widespread renewable electricity to produce the components required for BEV proliferation and be circular on material utilization and waste.

Policy and associated financial risks have served as key market drivers for a low-carbon economy. They will continue to propel the automotive industry‘s decarbonization progress with additional sustainability frameworks.

Now available: CTI magazine 2022 edition

Posted on 14th December 2022

After a two-year break, we are again providing you with content beyond our annual events. The technical papers in this issue cover developments such as bi-stable electromagnetic clutches from JJE
and ultra-compact differentials for edrives from JTEKT European Operations. Magna International reports on the versatile eBeam drive for electrictrucks and light commercialvehicles, while the Technische Universität Darmstadt has developed a twodrive electric powertrain that promises outstanding efficiency in both electric and dedicated range extender operation. Marelli introduces an eaxle family that is intended to cover 90 % of the market.

We also report on last May’s CTI Symposium USA, where one much-discussed question was: “What are our electrification strategies during the transition phase until 2030?” On the same topic, we interviewed Michael Maten to hear his company’s viewpoint. General Motors, he says, has uncompromising electrification plans: “We don’t want to make what we call half a vehicle.”

Another game changer is the field of tomorrow’s sensor technology and E/E architectures in electrified vehicles, plus the growing importance of in-vehicle smart devices. So to round off this issue, we held a short interview on the subject with our advisory board member Sven Beiker from Stanford University, California.

Our special thanks to everyone who helped make this issue of CTI Mag happen. We hope you enjoy it!

Get your CTI magazine here

We need to harmonize the worlds of battery pack and cell

Posted on 2nd December 2022

At the CTI symposium in Berlin from 6-7 December, Mareike Schmalz, Team Leader Battery Pre-Development, Automobil-Prüftechnik Landau GmbH, Germany, will speak about “Range vs. fast charging capability – new development tools for solving the optimisation conflict of HV-batteries”.

We had the opportunity to interview Ms. Schmalz beforehand.

At the upcoming CTI event in Berlin, you will talk about optimization conflicts of high-voltage batteries. What are these conflicts?

We see major advancements at all system levels of a battery. The cell is continuously evolving in its chemical composition, stoichiometry, and morphology. The conflict is to combine high energy densities with fast charging capability and safety. In system design, the trend points clearly toward compact cell-to-pack or cell-to-car concepts. As a result, problems and challenges associated with the cell and its integration – electrical, thermal, and mechanical – must now be solved at a system level. The battery becomes a structural element and its development process is increasingly interlinked with that of the overall vehicle.

Another issue you deal with in your work is thermal energy dissipation. What are the challenges in this area?

The battery releases heat during operation, especially under high electrical loads such as fast charging. To ensure safe operation and avoid derating due to overheating, the heat must be dissipated in a targeted manner. The concept of immersed cooling is now gaining ground. In contrast to the established indirect cooling, the cooling fluid flows directly around the battery cell. This offers a highly efficient heat dissipation but challenges lie in the system design, sealing concept, and formulation of a suitable dielectric fluid. Issues of material compatibility are likewise a key challenge.

From your view, which will be the most important development fields for traction batteries in the coming years?

At the system level, cell-to-pack development will be a major task. At the cell level, work will continue on improvements to cell chemistry. Great expectations are placed on solid-state batteries. Key development work lies in harmonizing the two worlds of the battery pack and cell and achieving a clean understanding of their interdependency. As an engineering service provider, APL is well acquainted with the diverse developments in the market as we work from cell chemistry up to the whole pack on fast charging, thermal management, safety, and operating strategies, to name a few.

Thank you for these insights, we are looking forward to your speech in Berlin.

Questions: Gernot Goppelt

The competition is not about energy, it is about economy

Posted on 2nd December 2022

At the CTI symposium in Berlin from 6-7 December, Dr Martin Härtl, Chief Engineer, Technical University of Munich, Germany, will speak about the topic “E-fuels: indirect electrification of the transport sector”.

We had the opportunity to interview Dr Härtl in the run-up to the CTI symposium.

In Berlin, you will talk about “indirect electrification” through e-fuels. In which transport sectors do you favour these primarily?

E-fuels are an interesting alternative to fossil-based fuels for hard-to-abate applications where high energy density storage is required, such as for ships, aircraft, and long-haul on-road transport. Short- and medium-term it should be considered to use E-Fuels as a drop-in solution to lower the GHG impact of the non-electrified vehicle fleets during a transition period. Long-term, carbon-free E-Fuels like hydrogen and ammonia are expected to play an important role.

What do you think about the often-heard criticism that e-fuels cannot compete in terms of efficiency?

Of course, the conversion of electricity to E-Fuels and all further conversion steps cost a lot of energy. But the competition is not about energy, it is about the economy. When there is a limit in the domestic production of electricity and the volatility of sun and wind does not match the demand curve, we have to import energy from elsewhere. And for the same investment, the output of a wind farm in Chile or a PV plant in the Middle East is much higher, so this solution can be cost-competitive.

Electric energy has become significantly more expensive since early 2021. How could that affect the vehicle electrification plans and maybe even cause a certain shift towards advanced hybrid solutions?

There is no alternative to electrification when we want to avoid GHG. I believe that in the long term the bottleneck will be raw materials rather than the electricity supply. And E-Fuels can be seen as a way of saving resources in energy storage. Car drivetrains also have to save resources, and I think the best way to do that would be to make smaller vehicles with lower power demand more available and attractive. I am sure that customers would welcome that today more than they did in the past.

Thank you for these insights, we are looking forward to your speech in Berlin.

Questions: Gernot Goppelt

The energy-saving effect of 48V solutions is not significant enough

Posted on 2nd December 2022

At the CTI symposium in Berlin from 6-7 December, Ruiping Wang, Vice President General Manager, Zhe Jiang Geely Powertrain Co., Ltd, China, will speak about “Geely’s strategy and practice in powertrain electrification”.

We had the opportunity to ask Dr. Wang some questions beforehand.

Ms. Wang, in how far, do Geely’s Chinese powertrain electrification plans open possible market opportunities within Europe?

The investment in Geely’s powertrain electrification in Europe is basically synchronous with that in China. Firstly, there is the last generation of Geely’s hybrid system GHS1.0. In 2019, Geely began to export GHS1.0 hybrid transmission to the European OEM market. The transmissions Geely exported have reached 200,000 sets until now. At the end of 2020, Geely Lynk&Co 01 with GHS 1.0 was exported to the European market. By the end of September, we have launched around 40,000 Lynk&Co 01 vehicles.

Secondly, there is the new generation of hybrid powertrain system’ Leishen’. It has been released at the end of October last year. We will be committed to ‘providing the world’s leading high-efficiency and intelligent powertrain solutions, and realizing China’s powertrains supply to the world.’

Which chances may Geely’s advanced full hybrid solutions have in Europe, that so far rather focused on 48V and plug-in hybrids?

Concerning hybrid powertrains, Geely’s latest generation ‘Leishen’ hybrid is a creative structure of electromechanical three-speed DHT, equipped with a high thermal efficiency engine and intelligent control system. ‘Leishen’ also achieved the European safety function certification ISO26262 ASIL-D, which is suitable for European plug-in use. It can not only save energy but also meet users’ requirements for strong power and functional safety. Moreover, the advanced software system can also support vehicle FOTA upgrades.

As to electric vehicles, Geely’s next generation ‘Leishen’ Powertrain has two voltage electronic drive series with 400V and 800V. They can offer various output powers to vehicles. It can meet various use scenarios of European electric vehicle users. There are opportunities for both component and vehicle export.

When we speak of 48V solutions, there are technical limitations and the energy-saving effect is not significant enough. To focus on the Chinese and European markets, we are going to devote more resources to HEV, PHEV, and EV as they have more opportunities.

How important is the further development of high-efficiency engines for Geely, also for other markets?

Regarding technical aspects in connection with hybrid vehicles, high-efficiency engines are an enabler for lower fuel consumption. Compared with EVs, these hybrid vehicles don’t cause range anxiety but still enable higher economy for their users. Another aspect is that the cost of electricity varies much in different regions of the world. The development of high-efficiency engines can provide more economical choices for users who have high electricity costs, who do not have convenient charging facilities or who prefer fuel vehicles. These engines will also be helpful for Geely to serve the world.

Thank you for these insights, we are looking forward to your speech in Berlin.

Questions: Gernot Goppelt

With new E/E architectures evolving, OEMs need to examine their manufacturing assets

Posted on 2nd December 2022

At the CTI symposium in Berlin from 6-7 December, Dr Yu Yang, Senior Technology and Market Analyst, Yole Développement, will speak about “The ‘invasion’ of consumer electronics players: new OEMs’ strategies and the impacts on the powertrain supply chain”.

We had the opportunity to interview Dr Yang beforehand.

Dr Yang, internet and consumer electronics players are more and more boarding cars – where are the boundaries between them and the OEMs?

Internet companies’ interests in the automotive industry are not new. All three leading EV start-ups in China, namely Nio, XPeng, and Li Auto, come from internet backgrounds. They are determined to be OEMs and bring some interesting user experiences, giving them a firm footing in the game. In that initial wave of investments, you also have companies like Google, Uber, and Baidu taking another approach of targeting Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous drive for revolutionary robotaxi applications. Of course, so far, we have seen that this second approach is much more challenging than first thought. Baidu has shifted gears to become an OEM (through a joint venture with Geely).

Alongside the efforts to attain high-level AV, there are also ideas of reproducing the ubiquitous OS for cars. Google’s Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay are the leading ones. However, as this directly links to who will own and monetize driving data, OEMs will not easily give up. These are not easy decisions, as Apple’s countless flip-flops on its car strategy show.

So this is the context, but in my Berlin speech, I will focus more on consumer electronics.

The title of your speech includes the term “invaders”. What do you mean by that?

The expansion of consumer electronics players is a kind of second wave of ‘invaders’ where you find Apple, Sony, Xiaomi, Huawei, etc., and, equally interesting, Foxconn. Unlike the first batch of internet companies, these electronics players are much more familiar with the hardware while still bringing abundant experience in software, more than legacy OEMs. And even more powerfully, most consumer electronics companies have a good and large pool of end customers and the potential to integrate cars with the other aspects of their digital-savvy lives.

Which role will OEMs play there, and where do you expect shifts as to new players and traditional suppliers?

In our view, being an OEM will be the most feasible way, though then there is direct competition with legacy OEMs. But this might be an oasis for drivetrain suppliers, who will mostly suffer from the increasing trend of in-house manufacturing popular among OEMs. And the new entrant OEMs will likely focus less on mechanics-heavy manufacturing. See, for example, the split of work in the Sony-Honda venture.

But things will not just stop here. As the technologies will likely evolve to include centralized E/E architectures, the decoupling of software and hardware, and a highly integrated and standardized skateboard chassis, it would, in the short term, definitely not reach a point where contract manufacturing could be a choice at a large scale (not as today, only as a supplementary to in-house capacity). This means that all OEMs, even the new entrants, need to examine their manufacturing assets and make decisions on ‘make’ or ‘buy’ manufacturing capabilities. This should happen before reaching the holy grail of fully autonomous driving. Interestingly, when we discuss if there will be ‘Foxconn’ for cars, Foxconn itself is moving into automotive, with a somewhat mixed strategy. Clearly, it will ride the EV wave, but with the possibility of being both an OEM and a contract manufacturer.

Thank you for these insights, Dr Yang, we are looking forward to your speech in Berlin.

Questions: Gernot Goppelt

E-motors at the max – how developers are raising the bar

Posted on 2nd December 2022

The heart of every automobile is still the power plant. Traditional values like horsepower, top speed or acceleration may be taking a back seat in EVs, but efficiency – which has a big impact on range – is growing in importance. To reduce package and weight, developers are striving for maximum power density – plus lower costs to make high-tech solutions more widespread and affordable.

Progress never stops. Yesterday’s record-breakers are tomorrow’s standard components – and a springboard to the next level. High-speed motors with 50,000 rpm … efficiency levels of 97% … what’s next?

CTI Symposium Berlin – welcome to the developer race

At CTI symposia, participants can hear all about best performances, new benchmarks and the latest attempts to raise the bar higher still. From research project to market-ready product, we present technological excellence at all stages of development. Experts from universities, suppliers and OEMs speak to a knowledgeable audience that wants to get a head start, and discover tomorrow’s champions today.

All systems go – at 50,000 rpm

Power density in BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) can be significantly improved by increasing the rpm of the e-motor(s) used. This permits a more compact build that delivers cost and space benefits. But where are the limits? Does the leap to ‘hyperspeeds’ of 50,000 rpm still yield economic benefits? And is the technology still manageable?

Bernd Morhard (Technical University of Munich, Germany) will illustrate how these questions were investigated in a joint research project called Speed4E. The Speed4E drivetrain uses two e-motors. They run at up to 50,000 rpm, and deliver up to 45 Nm of torque at the transmission input shafts. The standout design feature is the way the two different electric motors interact: both run independently, each with its own partial transmission.

Bernd Morhard will explain the test bench layout of the high-speed drive train, and will present exemplary test results that focus on the maximum speeds of up to 50,000 rpm. His initial figures for mechanical efficiency and drag torque are sure to be of particular interest. The speaker will pay special attention to the hydrous transmission fluid that is being considered. This fluid combines low friction with the ability to cool and lubricate the entire powertrain. The results show possible ways of improving the mechanical efficiency of BEV high-speed drives, and provide a fundamental understanding of the challenges inherent in very high rpm.

New switching cell concept: will efficient SiC technology soon go mainstream?

Si IGBT and SiC (silicon carbide) are both in the running as potential power semiconductors for inverters. For Philippe Hamon (Valeo eAutomotive, Germany), the favourite is clear: “The demand for SiC is increasing faster than expected. Not just in the premium segment, but in mainstream applications too.” Inverters based on SiC work more efficiently than those based on Si (IGBT), and offer users up to 5% more efficiency under WLTP. Although progress has its price – SiC wafers cost three times more than a Si IGBT alternative – OEMs are still switching to SiC because the lower spend on batteries (or range increase for the same price) outweighs the extra spend on the inverter.

As Philippe Hamon will explain, Valeo eAutomotive has started developing a new switching cell concept for next-generation 800V SiC inverters (SOP 2025). The new switching cell comprises the power modules (3 for the 3-phase version), the cooling box, the DC link capacitors, and the current measurement. This means Valeo eAutomotive is concentrating on the ’heart’ of the inverter, which accounts for the lion’s share of performance and costs. In fact, this assembly costs around 2/3 of the inverter’s overall price (the other significant factors are the control board and housing). The new concept ensures tremendous scalability – from 120 to 300kW – for 800V and 400V applications. With this strategy, Valeo eAutomotive is confident it can supply competitive products that will satisfy the demand for efficient SiC technology and accelerate their market penetration. All e-axle applications can benefit from this on a broad basis.

E-motor design for LCVs – systematic optimization

Light commercial vehicles (LCVs) use the same powertrains as passenger cars, albeit with some modifications. While this applies to both combustion engines and battery-electric drives, it poses special challenges for e-motor designers.

Daniele Zecchetti (Marelli Europe, Italy) will present a method developed at Marelli that enables designers to optimize electric motors systematically for use in LCV applications. The challenge involves meeting the special objectives of battery-electric LCVs in terms of driving cycles and speed, while simultaneously optimizing efficiency under specific operating conditions so range targets are met under WLTC.

Daniele Zecchetti will present the findings from vehicle simulations in relevant cycles, and will also explain both the tool chain used to develop e-motors in general, and the electromagnetic and thermal simulations in particular. Other important aspects will include the effects of the maximum converter current and gear ratio on the construction of the electric motor. In addition to WLTC range considerations, LCV powertrain efficiency on longer motorway journeys can also be very important, and must be taken into account when configuring the motor and selecting the size of the converter. The aim of the systematic optimization process is to achieve a convincing compromise between motor size, efficiency (under WLTC and on motorways), package and e-motor costs.

New wave winding ­– the key to high-efficiency, lightweight e-motors

The ideal electric motor achieves maximum torque and efficiency with minimum active mass (magnets, winding) and production costs. This is the postulate on which Prof. Dr. Roland Kasper (Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany) has built his development strategy. Active copper parts in the slots and air gap are maximized by adapting the shape and using a high fill factor; passive copper parts in the winding overhangs and connections are minimized by making conductor lengths as short as possible. By shortening the end windings to their physical/geometric limit, phase resistance, axial length and motor weight can all be reduced while efficiency is boosted to previously unattainable levels. This is particularly beneficial for all mobile applications that demand high energy efficiency and low weight, such as vehicle or drone drives.

The electric motor presented by Roland Kasper uses a new type of wave winding with a very high packing density. This winding significantly outperforms existing electric motors in terms of torque density and efficiency. For participants, the in-depth description of the winding design and the methods for its inexpensive, large-scale production should be of particular interest. Based on FE calculations, Roland Kasper will present exemplary design results for a) a wheel hub motor with a transmission for a cargo bike (torque 14 Nm, active mass 1.2 kg, efficiency 95%), b) a vehicle drive motor (torque 350 Nm, active mass 7.8 kg, efficiency 97%) and c) a drone motor with air gap winding (torque 3 Nm, active mass 0.2 kg, efficiency 95%). The calculation results for the cargo bike drive have been verified by test bench measurements on a prototype.

CTI SYMPOSIUM GERMANY – an arena for technological excellence

When it comes to progress in electric mobility, the CTI Symposium in Berlin presents what matter most: quantifiable results. In twelve sessions and the plenum, you can experience at first hand how developers are competing in disciplines like sustainability, efficiency, power density and scalability. You can also be there when leading technology champions present their products at the CTI EXPO – and take the latest tech for a spin at the CTI TEST DRIVE.

Welcome to CTI Symposium Berlin!

The complete spectrum of testing services from everywhere at any time with ATESTEO

Posted on 30th November 2022

Highlights at CTI Berlin. Testing for all drive types.

Early drivetrain testing is the key to developing new drives. Electric drives, hybrid drives, or internal combustion engine powertrains—ATESTEO, the leading specialist for drivetrain testing, offers over 170 state-of-the-art drivetrain test benches for developing the mobility of tomorrow. Our wide spectrum of flexible test bench equipment makes it possible to test a wide variety of drive types quickly and safely on land, at sea, and in the air.

ATESTEO Testing Cockpit. All information. Anytime. Anywhere.

To actively involve customers in their drivetrain testing projects, ATESTEO has developed the digital Testing Cockpit. This digital customer solution enables quickly looking at information on drivetrain tests. The Testing Cockpit allows customers to monitor their tests in real time in parallel and to adapt them together with the customer’s project engineer from ATESTEO—from anywhere at any time.

Customers enjoy several benefits:

• Lower costs
• Substantial time savings
• More flexibility
• Prompt communication
• Rapid reaction time
• High standard of security

At our booth E14, you can discover our Testing Cockpit live demo to gain insight into worldwide testing at ATESTEO.

NVH testing for all drive types. Know and optimize the sources of noise.

The topic of NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) is incorporated very early into vehicle development. This is why there is a need for test benches on which transmissions and drive units can be tested in an isolated and reproducible manner for properties relevant to NVH. Our headquarters in Alsdorf is the largest independent European test center for drivetrains. Our own key equipment for testing powertrains and a total of five  NVH test benches, an acoustic dynamometer test bench, and our test track help our customers to identify audible and noticeable vibrations early on so as to optimize transmissions at an early point in time in the development phase.

Our range of services includes:

• Conventional NVH investigations
• Testing of e-axles and hybrid drives
• HiL testing (Hardware in the Loop)
• Component tests

Our NVH model at the booth gives you an overview of the design of our modern NHV test benches. On 6 December at four o’clock in the afternoon (Session F), the head of our ATESTEO test field, Dr. Sucker, will hold a talk on “E-mobility and the New Challenges of NVH Testing.”

ATESTEO North America Inc. Coming to the USA.

ATESTEO has reacted to the needs of the market for testing capacity directly in the USA by opening a site in East Lansing, Michigan starting in March 2023. The region is rich in innovations, looking back on a long automotive tradition. During the final construction phase, over 20 test benches will be installed. The goal is to commission the first test benches in the second quarter of 2023, conducting the first tests for electric  and hybrid drive units on the test benches. ATESTEO is thus closing a gap so as to offer its complete spectrum of services around the globe. As a reliable partner, ATESTEO is always wherever the drivetrains of the future are developed.

About ATESTEO. Excellence in Drivetrain Testing.
ATESTEO is the leading drivetrain testing specialist for testing electric, hybrid, or internal combustion engine powertrains in the automotive and mobility industry. We support manufacturers of automobiles, commercial and utility vehicles, boats, ships, and trains, along with drivetrain developers and suppliers to optimize their drivetrains and subsequent production vehicles through reproducible and traceable tests. With our sites in Germany, China, Japan, and soon in the USA, we are located wherever drivetrain development takes place. With over 170 of our own high-end test benches, up-to-date remote access by customers to running tests, decades of expertise in drivetrain testing, our own in-house torque measurement technology, our own DAkkSaccredited calibration laboratory, and test fields designed precisely to meet the requirements of electric and hybrid vehicles, we serve the complete drivetrain system.

Press contact: Martin Börner | martin.boerner@atesteo.com

Sustainability and supply chains – new values for the future

Posted on 7th November 2022

Automotive mobility is undergoing a process of deep change. Old values are fading; new ones are coming into focus. In future, potential EV buyers may well be more interested in the eco-balance than the range. People want to use their vehicles with a clear conscience. So for manufacturers, committing to sustainability – and perhaps even assuming eco-social responsibility – will be a must. Obviously, that responsibility will extend down into supply chains, where globalized and heavily monopolized procurement processes will be up for scrutiny. When an acute shortage of semiconductors puts the brakes on automobile production, as happened recently, action must be taken. Becoming independent of fluctuating prices and raw material shortages is another important task.

CTI SYMPOSIUM Berlin – a holistic take on electric mobility

In addition to technical innovations, the topic field ‘Market, Strategy and Supply Chain’ is sure to spark plenty of discussion this year. While the current shift in values is certainly challenging, it is also driving progress. For companies, intelligent commitment pays off in the form of a competitive advantage. We will be examining this trend in a dedicated session, as well as in numerous other contributions. As a special highlight, the panel discussion on ‘The interaction between drivetrain technology and social responsibility in the supply chain’ promises to yield interesting insights.

Eco balance (Life Cycle Assessment) – a clear framework for ambitious goals

Often, automobile CO2 emissions are evaluated only in the form of ‘well-to-wheel’ assessments. As Volker Ludwig (Magna Powertrain, Germany) will point out, this overlooks key areas such as production and recycling. Hence, Magna is striving for a comprehensive ecological balance (Life Cycle Assessment) that includes all emissions from ‘cradle-to-grave’.

Another issue that will increasingly confront the automotive industry is Social Due Diligence. This means assessing suppliers and sub-suppliers to ensure that human rights are complied with along the supply chain. Using various Magna transmissions and drive solutions as examples, Volker Ludwig will show what measures Magna is currently taking to tackle both issues. Summing up, he says: “Our goal is to bring to market a socially responsible product that ultimately, has a zero carbon footprint.”

Using examples of a holistic vehicle view today and in 2030, the speaker will illustrate how this Life Cycle Analysis is applied. It will be interesting to learn how Magna continuously integrates Life Cycle Assessment and Due Diligence into its development and procurement processes. Finally, Volker Ludwig will show in detail options for minimizing CO2 emissions over a vehicle’s life cycle, taking various hybrid drives and transmissions as his examples. He will explain the central role played by the material supply chain, where the use of secondary aluminium and steel, as well as renewable energies in production, represent significant levers. The goal: to create a consistent eco-social approach for all future Magna drive products and all applications, from ICE-only through HEV and PHEV to BEV and FCEV.

Higher power density for more sustainability

Production volumes in the field of mobility will experience huge growth year by year. Valuable raw materials such as copper, magnets or electrical steel will become expensive and rare. At present, supply chain disruption and extreme uncertainty in the energy market are exacerbating the situation. Against this backdrop, Mathias Deiml (AVL Software and Functions GmbH, Germany) sees risks for the growth of e-mobility, and pleads for long-term sustainability in e-drive production. AVL proposes increasing the power density of electric motors, saying this would help to improve sustainability in terms of both cost and material availability. Matthias Deiml will also consider other factors that affect sustainability, such as traction voltage or engine type.

The new, second generation of AVL high-speed motors delivers an outstanding power density of >12kw/kg without the need for costly magnets or electrical sheets. AVL uses the motors in an electric drive unit (EDU) that is optimized at system level for power density and efficiency. Mathias Deiml will present concept details, and also results from bench and in-vehicle testing. Each of the main components – e-motor, inverter and transmission – contributes to improving efficiency: the inverter uses fast-switching SiC components, while injection lubrication and FEM-optimized gear meshing support high efficiency in the transmission. The EDU technologies are scalable and can be used in vehicle classes ranging from premium to sub-compact. At vehicle level, the speaker will also present the torque vectoring feature, as well as results from simulation and real vehicle testing of the high-speed EDU.

Watch out – the invaders from consumer electronics are coming!

Dr Yu Yang (Yole Développement, France) will be bringing a concise market analysis to Berlin. The influx of new, high-investment players throughout the BEV supply chain is in full swing. Most of them share a common background: consumer electronics. The latest examples include Xiaomi, Sony, Foxconn and Luxshare, and nobody would be surprised if another big name announced it was entering the EV industry soon. In addition to well-known brands, consumer electronics suppliers such as Huawei, Media and others are also gaining ground. New competition is expected primarily in the fields of smart cockpits, autonomous driving, and powertrains. One reason for this trend is the value shift within EVs towards electronics, software and services. The new players have experience in all these fields, albeit in a different context.

In a detailed examination of leading electronics OEMs and suppliers, Dr Yu Yang will show how contract manufacturing and in-house manufacturing exist side-by-side. Integrated e-axles, in combination with other high-voltage systems and controllers, attract most investment. Typically, the supply chain for consumer electronics follows a strategy of rapid growth in which economies of scale outweigh margins. The new players also have better access to semiconductors – another important success factor in powertrain electrification. According to Dr Yu Yang, a combination of highly standardized, sealed chassis and contract manufacturing will become more popular in the age of EVs.

As the examples show, important new players have evolved within just a few years. Hence, existing players must recognize the challenges and prepare for them on different levels. Dr Yu Yang’s talk will provide important information to inform and help shape their strategies.

Optimizing costs as energy prices rise: a charging infrastructure puzzle for e-buses

Municipalities and citizens are agreed that diesel-powered buses should vanish from cities as soon as possible. Until then, the challenge facing fleet operators is how best to electrify their operations incrementally. One key factor involves growing and running the charging infrastructure. In his talk, Benjamin Daniel Blat Belmonte (Technical University Darmstadt, Germany) will use the example of a public transport company to turn the spotlight on another topical aspect: the rising energy prices that drive up operating costs by making fuel and electricity more expensive.

Planning the charging infrastructure of a partially electrified bus fleet can be seen as an optimization problem that aims to minimize costs and emissions. As Benjamin Daniel Blat Belmonte will show, an existing optimization framework for the charging infrastructure of line transport systems, developed at the Institute for Mechatronic Systems (IMS), was used to analyze the effects of fluctuating energy prices. This framework is based on multiple periods, and performs fleet management tasks implicitly for fleet operators who assign vehicles to predefined trips on each representative day, based on their consumption profile. The problem is formulated in Pyomo as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) task. The use of Pyomo makes it easy to adapt to applications, and to input boundary data in a flexible way.

In-depot charging point candidates are particularly relevant for optimization results, although on-route points also signify. As Benjamin Daniel Blat Belmonte will explain, multiple optimizations are calculated, based on a common reference scenario and differing energy costs. This procedure offers fleet operators strategic options for charging infrastructures and cost optimization when energy supply chains are in turmoil.

CTI SYMPOSIUM Berlin – an event with a lasting effect

Sustainability and supply chains are just two of the important topics on the agenda at CTI Symposium Berlin. Both terms describe current topics, and also apply to the symposium itself. With an extensive programme of twelve technical sessions, multiple highlights in the plenum and top-notch speakers and guests, high yields for participants are assured. Backed by a flawless supply chain, the exhibitors at our CTI SYMPOSIUM EXPO are well prepared for visitors. And at the CTI SYMPOSIUM TEST DRIVE, a whole fleet of test vehicles awaits you.

 

Welcome to Berlin!