Magnetics Business & Technology - January/February 2021 - 12

FEATURE ARTICLE

Protean Electric's In-Wheel Motor Reaches for Traction in Global EV and Industrial Markets
enables flexible vehicle packaging and design for vehicle manufacturers and delivers improved margin and differentiation in an
increasingly crowded electric vehicle market, says Protean.
" Reaching the benchmark of 200 patents granted is testament
to the extensive research, development, testing and validation
processes that have advanced our ProteanDrive technology
over the last decade, " adds Hilton. " In addition to overcoming
key technical challenges, Protean is committed to industrializing
in-wheel motors with lower cost and optimum performance. "

In the race to electrify transportation modes, developers of new
motor and drive systems are keeping busy patent offices around
the world. Among the leaders is Protean Electric, a UK-based developer of permanent magnet in-wheel motors that recently was
granted its 200th patent and has another 130 pending. Amongst
its other business activities, Protean serves as a technology innovator for parent group NEVS/Evergrande, the successor to
former Swedish auto maker Saab, and is also positioning to apply its technology to more industrial equipment.

It can benefit industrial applications, too, such as hoisting. Recently, the motor was adopted in a newly deployed technology
that advances the safety of lifting loads by crane. A wireless load
controlling system, developed by Australian-based Roborigger,
allows dogmen to rotate and stabilize the crane loads with a remote control, eliminating the need for them to be in the vicinity
of lifted loads. The technology is being rolled out to construction
and oil and gas companies, as well as to ports and logistics operators globally.
Roborigger worked with Protean Electric to incorporate its Pd18
motor into its load controlling system. The Pd18 is a lightweight,
compact, integrated synchronous motor and inverter package
that provides a high torque output, considered ideal for steadying and supporting heavy loads, and a high-speed control system
that enables precisely calibrated articulation of the loads. Following 18 months of collaboration, Roborigger, a business unit
of Tensa Equipment Pty that is located in West Perth, now has
commercial units available Australia-wide and in Singapore, with
a roll-out to Europe, Japan and the UK planned for late 2020.
The Roborigger system uses gyroscopic and inertial forces to
accurately rotate and stabilize crane loads while they are being
lifted and lowered. As Roborigger sought to upscale from small
load controlling prototypes to units capable of managing loads
of up to 15 tons, it sought a robust, sophisticated, ready-to-go
motor solution.

" Protean's in-wheel motor system includes an
electric machine that is designed to deliver
high torque in the limited space available in the
wheel, " according to Chris Hilton, chief technical officer. " To meet this challenge a radial flux
permanent magnet synchronous motor with
an outer rotor is adopted. Rare earth mag- Chris Hilton, chief
nets are surface-mounted in the rotor. "
technical officer
Now the company's ProteanDrive in-wheel
motor is ready for volume application in passenger cars, light
commercial vehicles, modern last-mile transportation solutions
and autonomous mobility pods, says the company. " Our extensive global patent portfolio protects our innovations and assures
our customers that we are a partner they can rely on. " The motor

Magnetics Business & Technology * January/February 2021

First, it was applied to a Roborigger unit for loads of up to 15
tons, and more recently it has been deployed on larger models
rated for loads of up to 40 tons. Direct drive technology incorporated into the Pd18 generates power directly within the motor
solved the inherent issues and unreliability caused by gearbox
backlash which the team experienced with motors in their trials
of earlier prototypes. Exceptionally fast control loops in the motor, amounting to 90% in 2 milliseconds, twice as fast as most
other commercially available motors, enable the Roborigger to
feature a very high speed yet accurate control system.
" It has been fascinating collaborating on a project outside the
automotive and mobility sectors, developing our Pd18 motors
for other advanced applications, " said Hilton. " Roborigger is an
excellent example of how the inherent capabilities of Protean
motors offer solutions for systems requiring high power and precisely calibrated control across all industries. "
" The support from Protean's engineers is one of the characteristics that differentiated them from other motor developers.
Throughout the development process we worked directly with
experienced engineers who really understood our product and
requirements, " said Roborigger founder Derick Markwell. " Curwww.MagneticsMag.com

http://www.MagneticsMag.com

Magnetics Business & Technology - January/February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Magnetics Business & Technology - January/February 2021