The ModulED project, which brings together 10 European research institutes, key members of the automotive-industry value chain and universities, and will be focused on boosting drivetrain performance to meet vehicle-owner requirements, making manufacturing more efficient and reducing environmental impact and vehicle cost.
The project team will look to leverage recent innovations from diverse number of industries including integrating the frequency, voltage and high-temperature benefits of wide-bandgap semiconductors fabricated with gallium nitride. These devices allow the electronic circuitry that changes direct current to alternating current (DC-AC) to be integrated directly into the motor.
Other innovations the project will look to develop for the new drivetrains include: processes for manufacturing magnetic materials for the magnetic part of the motor, lowering the density of the rare-earth element; motor architecture that allows modularity in production; transmission and cooling systems that are compatible with hybrid vehicles and the optimisation of braking systems to recover energy in the braking phase.
“Electric vehicles are a key component of the EU’s commitment to limit climate change, but current electric vehicles face challenges preventing large market acceptance, including consumer resistance due to cost and limited driving ranges,” explained Bernard Strée, project coordinator at Leti. “ModulED will target these challenges via the manufacturing process, including the mass-production context, increased value-chain involvement and lifecycle analysis for optimized duration and minimized environmental impact.”
Coordinated by Leti, the three-year, €7.2 million project includes the companies BRUSA Elektronik AG (Switzerland), Punch Powertrain NV (Belgium), ZG GmbH (Germany), Siemens (France), Efficient Innovation (France); universities RTWH Aachen University, Chalmers University and Eindhoven University of Technology, and Leti’s sister institute, Liten.
The ModulED project launches this month in Grenoble.
