Although electric motors offer certain performance advantages in terms of instant torque, getting EVs to run at peak performance over long periods of time remains a challenge. Mahle says, though, that it has created one of the puzzle pieces that will make that possible.
Its new SCT E-motor “can run indefinitely with high performance,” the supplier claims, because of a new cooling concept. Mahle says that integrated oil cooling makes the motor capable of running at high speeds for long periods of time, while the compact design mean that it’s still light and, perhaps even more importantly, inexpensive.
In addition to having excellent cooling characteristics, the motor has also been designed to be its most efficient within a certain RPM range, which happens to be at 90 percent of peak output. That, Mahle reasons, will make it useful for all kinds of high-strain applications, such as track cars or commercial vehicles going up a mountain pass.
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“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.”
Mahle has opted for a permanently excited motor concept because of its compact design. The rotor also does not need “excitation current,” which makes the motor efficient and wear-free. Instead, neodymium magnets are used to generate a magnetic field in the motor. The supplier can also make the motor without magnets, if the price and supply of the raw materials does not suit its clients. That motor is also wear-free and efficient, but requires more assembly space.
The electric motor has been designed to be highly scalable, and the manufacturer says it can be used in everything from e-scooters to off-road and industrial applications. Mahle will present the SCT E-motor to the public for the first time at the IAA Transportation show in Hanover in September 2022.
