E-Mobility Engineering

An e-motor prototype stator using Ajedium PEEK slot liners and Ketaspire PEEK magnet wire (Image: Syensqo) A new generation of thermoplastic is replacing aramid papers and enamel coatings in motors, writes Nick Flaherty. The advanced thermoplastic, now being adopted using existing production equipment in a new generation of motors, is showing a reduction in weight and an increase in efficiency through improved thermal management.

Compression pads accommodate thickness changes (Image: Saint-Gobain Tape Solutions) Saint-Gobain researchers have developed predictive models for accurately forecasting the mechanical behaviour of compression pads in battery packs, writes Nick Flaherty. Lithium-ion cells exhibit expansion and contraction during charge and discharge cycles as well as irreversible swelling due to ageing. Compression pads are critical components for ensuring the lifetime performance of battery packs.

A 100 kW superconducting axial flux engine for electric aircraft (Image: University of Strathclyde) Researchers in Scotland have demonstrated a 100 kW fully superconducting axial flux motor for aviation, writes Nick Flaherty. The prototype system was created by the Applied Superconductivity Laboratory (ASL) at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and operates at 20 K (-253 C).

By 2035, the sizes and types of cars sold as BEVs will look very much like those sold with combustion engines today.

Jim Edwards now heads up technical development at motor manufacturer Helix (All images: Helix) Helix’s chief engineer Jim Edwards is using motorsport technology to reduce the size and weight needed for electrification. Will Gray explores further In the world of electrification, battery technology is often cited as the area with greatest opportunity for development.

Coil winding for axial motors (Image: YASA) Nick Flaherty gets up to speed on the challenges of e-motor production Manufacturing an EV powertrain with a permanent magnet synchronous motor or an induction motor requires fusion of precise metallurgy, high-speed automation and stringent thermal-electrical isolation.

Sandwich layers boost magnet performance (Image: Korea Institute of Materials Science) Researchers in Korea have developed a sandwiched magnet that improves the cooling for high-power motors in vehicles and electric shipping, writes Nick Flaherty. The research team at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) developed a sandwich-structured grain boundary diffusion and bonding process where multiple magnet layers are stacked and then integrated.

Cell-to-pack battery designs, such as BYD’s Blade 2.0 used in the latest Seal and other models need TIMs that also provide structural strength (Image: BYD) Developments in EVs are increasing the demands made of thermal interface materials. Peter Donaldson investigates what’s hot and what’s not A thermal interface material (TIM) has a deceptively simple job: to fill the microscopic air gaps between a heat source and a heat sink and allow thermal energy to flow.

U-pin hairpins in a motor (Image: Jingawire) One of the most notable recent advancements in EV motor efficiency is linked to winding technology, as unravelled by Nick Flaherty The shift from traditional round-wire windings to hairpin winding technology represents one of the most significant leaps in EV motor efficiency. By replacing bundles of copper wire with rigid, precision-engineered bars, manufacturers can pack more conductive material into the same space.

A worker checks one of Kempower’s modular high-power chargers, which are based on 50 kW power blocks (Image: Kempower) As the fundamental electronics of EV fast chargers mature, Peter Donaldson considers the options available to manufacturers for upscaling production EV charging has reached an inflection point as an industry. The fundamental power electronics of fast charging are largely mature.