Magnetics Business & Technology - January/February 2023 - 21

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
will manufacture the motors using flexible digitalized technology
modules that can be re-arranged and re-scaled as required.
" Our goal is to achieve flexible and efficient production of innovative
electric motors, " says Schroeder. A pilot plant in which
experts can test the agile production facility already exists at
the site. Paired with a digital twin, it will serve as a blueprint for
the planned industrial-scale manufacturing facility. " By closely
integrating electric motor development and production at a single
location, we are leveraging key synergies for continuous product
improvement. "
the power electronics and electric motor and that it is used in
the interior of the vehicle. The temperature of the battery is also
regulated in such a way that the car can travel further on one battery
charge and that it charges faster.
" By means of our 4in1 electric axle with an integrated thermal
management system, we can achieve an even higher efficiency
level of the complete system, " notes Schroeder. An efficiency
level of up to 96 percent is possible in an optimally designed
system. Each additional percentage point translates into an
increased range.
With its 4in1 electric axle, Schaeffler is developing its most
comprehensive drive system for electric cars so far. " Such highly
integrated complete systems are attractive for both established
automobile manufacturers and new players, " says Schroeder.
This allows a reduction in the development time and the costs for
the complex new development of the entire drive. Nevertheless,
the company will continue to offer to its customers individual
components and subsystems for electric and hybrid drives such
as electric motors, transmissions, bearings, and the thermal
management system.
System development for the Schaeffler 4in1 electric axle
" Electric axles are a key element of our electric mobility strategy, "
says Zink, Until now, up to three drive components were assembled
in one compact unit. With its 4in1 electric axle, Schaeffler is
now going one step further by integrating the thermal management
system as well as the electric motor, power electronics and
transmission into the axle drive. This makes the axle drive more
compact and lighter and ensures greater comfort. A particularly
efficient thermal management system also enables a car to travel
further on one battery charge and charges faster. Another new
development are electric beam axles for pick-up trucks. In the
future, Schaeffler will supply beam axles to automobile manufacturers,
particularly in North America.
" The thermal management system has a significant influence
on the efficiency and comfort of the vehicle, " says Schroeder.
The E-Mobility business division makes thermal management
systems for all types of vehicle powertrains and is continuing to
develop them. A new approach is the combination of the drive
components of a conventional electric axle with the thermal
management system, which was an independent module in most
cases until now.
" This creates a highly integrated and compact complete system,
which requires significantly less space than non-integrated
solutions, " says Schroeder. Furthermore, less energy is lost in
the form of heat because unnecessary hoses and cables can be
dispensed with. " In addition to the compact design, the greatest
advantage of the 4in1 system is the optimized interaction of the
individual subsystems. "
Thermal behavior of individual drive components such as the
electric motor or the power electronics as well as the most efficient
and comprehensive thermal management of the entire
vehicle are all considered in the design. An intelligent control
system ensures that excess heat is efficiently dissipated from
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The range also includes the combination of two or three drive
components, opening up a particularly large market for the company
as it plans to produce future electric axles that in the future
will be used increasingly in vehicles ranging from passenger cars
through to light and heavy-duty commercial vehicles with purely
electric drives and drives based on fuel cells.
For the electrification of medium-duty pick-up trucks, particularly
for the North American market, Schaeffler is developing and will
manufacture an electric beam axle. In the electric beam axle,
the electric motor, transmission, power electronics, and the
entire rear axle are connected to each other and supplied to the
customer as a ready-to-fit unit. Axles like these are more than
two meters wide. Schaeffler has already secured its first orders
for electric beam axles from automobile manufacturers. The
company is therefore entering a new market segment for electric
axle drives.
Schaeffler manufactures components
for electric axles at
several locations worldwide.
Production started in 2021
at its plant in Szombathely,
Hungary which is the group's
first pure e-mobility plant and
its new competence center for
the manufacture of components and systems for electrified powertrains.
In addition, components for e-mobility and integrated
electric axle drives are manufactured in Taicang, China. Another
production facility is being set up in Wooster, Ohio in the U.S.,
where hybrid modules are already being manufactured. The
facilities all tie in with the new global lead plant for electric motors
now being built in Buhl.
The company plays to several of its strengths in the production
of electric axles, being well versed in the production of individual
components through to high-precision manufacturing methods.
These include stamping individual stator laminations for permanent
magnet electric motors and the winding of rotors using
innovative wave winding.
January/February 2023 * Magnetics Business & Technology 21
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Magnetics Business & Technology - January/February 2023

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