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Owl feathers inspire more efficient EV fan design

Inspired by owls: MAHLE introduced its new bionic fan for highly demanding fuel cell and battery-electric vehicles at the IAA Transportation trade show in Hanover, Germany, this past September. [Credit: Image courtesy of MAHLE]

 

 

 

 

A new component for fuel cell and electric vehicles halves fan noise on average. The artificial intelligence-optimized design -- based on the wings of an owl, one of the quietest birds -- was created by engineers at MAHLE, a leading international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry. This fan is 10% more efficient too.

MAHLE presented the world-first design at the IAA Transportation 2024 trade show in Hanover, Germany, this past September. The bionic high-performance fan makes commercial vehicles significantly quieter. It was developed for particularly demanding fuel cell and battery electric vehicles.

The design of the fan blades was modeled on owl wings and feathers. [Credit: Image courtesy of MAHLE]

 

 

When optimizing its ventilation blades with the use of AI, the MAHLE engineers took inspiration from the owl's plumage, which has a noise-reducing effect. The bionic fan blades can reduce the fan noise of a truck by up to 4 dB(A) -- equal to more than halving the sound output. This significant reduction solves another challenge for e-mobility: loud fan noise, which can be disturbing both at full load as well as when charging the vehicle at night, whether in residential areas or during resting times at service stations.

The fan is also significantly more efficient than conventional designs, thanks to 10% better performance and a 10% lighter design.

"We learn from nature: It inspires us in many areas! We have already seen success with our bionic battery cooling plate, a technology which helped us significantly while optimizing our fan," said Dr. Uli Christian Blessing, head of development, Thermal Management at MAHLE. "With the help of AI, we analyzed the characteristic features of bats, swordfish, and many other inspirations from nature. We finally ended up with the owl, the silent hunter, as the main template for our new fan."

"One can imagine the sound reduction power of our fan to be like that of turning off one of the speakers on a stereo system," Blessing said.

It is particularly in noise-sensitive areas that the new bionic high-performance fan shows its strength. During fast charging of vehicles, for example, reduced noise levels increase comfort for drivers and area residents alike. MAHLE offers the fan in a broad power range from 300 W to 35 kW. This enables its use in small electric passenger cars all the way through to large, particularly temperature-sensitive fuel cell trucks. The first prototypes are already being trialed by various passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturers.

MAHLE also developed the fan cover and carrier according to bionic principles, saving weight and increasing structural integrity in the process. The fully integrated assembly design features a little of the birds and a little of the bees if you look closely. [Credit: Image courtesy of MAHLE]

 

 

 

 

To save even more weight, MAHLE also developed the fan cover and carrier in accordance with bionic principles. As a result, both components are more than 10% lighter and have increased structural integrity.

Electrification and thermal management, i.e., heating and cooling, are closely interwoven. Efficient electrification is not possible without efficient thermal management. MAHLE is one of the few global suppliers active in both fields, where it leverages its excellent expertise to develop technical solutions for all drives.

Source: MAHLE

Published November 2024

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