The motorization of electric vehicles is also experiencing innovations. To get rid of magnets, a German company created an induction motor. As a bonus, the dimensions of this engine are reduced.
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In terms of electric vehicles, it’s not just the batteries and their autonomy that manufacturers are working on. The motor part is gradually evolving with the integration of technologies to reduce electricity consumption. There is also the economic aspect but also the dependence on certain materials, and in particular magnets, which remain problematic. To get rid of these magnets, several solutions exist. The one developed by the German company ZF is original. The company has imagined a motor without magnets and operating by induction. This is not new, because his compatriot Mahle offers the same process. In contrast, the company’s solution integrates the induction system inside the rotor with considerable space savings.
With its induction motorization system, the size of the ZF motor is considerably reduced. © ZF
Without magnets, without resistance, performance is optimized
In fine, the motor would operate identically to its magnet counterparts, but with much more compactness. Instead of magnets, there are contactless induction coils, which avoids the use of brushes, allowing the electric current to pass and making the vehicle heavier, while increasing resistance. The rotor shaft that houses the induction transmitter reduces the volume by 9 centimeters unlike brushed systems. ZF calls its creation the In-Rotor Inductively Excited Synchronous Motor (I²SM). It is currently a prototype and its characteristics are not yet final. The project must mature enough to be integrated into electrical platforms developing between 400 and 800 V.
