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MAHLE claims new EV motor is most durable -- can run indefinitely with high performance

Automotive supplier MAHLE says it has developed "the most durable electric motor available" for electric vehicle (EV) applications. Unique to the market, the traction motor can run indefinitely with high performance thanks to a new cooling concept.

Called the Superior Continuous Torque (SCT) E-motor, the new drive is suitable for passenger cars and commercial vehicles, as well as construction machines and tractors.

VIDEO: The MAHLE SCT E-Motor explained. [Credit: MAHLE]

"Building large electric motors that deliver short-term high performance is easy. What was still lacking on the market until now were durable yet compact drives to make electric vehicles unrestricted for everyday use," said Martin Berger, vice president, Corporate Research and Advanced Engineering, at MAHLE. "Our new SCT E-motor is the solution."

On the drivetrain side, this development clears the way for the replacement of many combustion engines in all vehicle classes. In 2021, MAHLE presented a groundbreaking, wear-free, and scalable traction motor for passenger cars that runs very efficiently over a wide rpm range.

The SCT E-motor, however, is designed to be particularly efficient within a defined rpm range. Despite its very compact and light design, its continuous output is more than 90% of its peak output. This high ratio allows the use of electric vehicles of all kinds, even under demanding conditions. A classic example is driving an electric truck over mountain passes or the multiple sprints of a battery electric passenger car, which are insufficiently covered by some of the electric motors available on the market up to now.

Part of the new motor design's secret sauce is the use of an innovative integrated oil cooling system, which not only makes it more robust but also "allows the waste heat generated to be used in the vehicle's complete system," according to the developer. At the same time, the extremely compact design results in an advantage in the costs of materials and weight -- a lighter motor requires less material during manufacture and increases the possible net load in commercial vehicles.

3D Animation MAHLE SCT E-Motor from UKi Media & Events on Vimeo.

In designing the product, MAHLE opted to use a permanently excited motor, since this type enables a very compact design, and no energy has to be transferred to the rotor as "excitation current." This makes the motor efficient and wear-free. Neodymium magnets, currently the strongest permanent magnets that can be produced, are used to generate the magnetic field in the motor.

However, MAHLE says, "to achieve greater independence from raw material prices and geopolitical developments, the SCT E-motor can also be designed without magnets." Thanks to the unique contactless transformer developed by MAHLE, the magnet-free variant would also be wear-free and run efficiently, while only requiring slightly more assembly space. (See video below).

VIDEO: In 2021, MAHLE presented a groundbreaking, wear-free, and scalable traction motor for passenger cars that runs very efficiently over a wide rpm range. MAHLE's Dr. Martin Berger, vice president, Corporate Research and Advanced Engineering, explains the new technology.

The new MAHLE SCT E-motor technology will be presented for the first time at the IAA Transportation show September 2022 in Hanover, Germany.

Interested? Contact Ruben Danisch, MAHLE spokesperson for Product and Technologies, by phone at +49 711 501-12199 or email Danisch at ruben.danisch@mahle.com.

Source: MAHLE

Published August 2022

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