Scalable Electric Drives And Battery Systems

Rheinmetall Automotive, a company of the Germany-based technology group Rheinmetall AG, has introduced a newly developed 90 kW electric drive unit and a new kind of modular battery pack. Although these systems are currently installed in a subcompact car as demonstration vehicle, the 90 kW high-voltage motor can be adapted to a respective application in terms of output and torque characteristics. Even though the current design is tailored to smaller-sized vehicles, the system’s scalability allows it to be used in larger vehicles too, the company said.

In the current demonstration vehicle, Rheinmetall Automotive opted for a synchronous permanent-

magnet motor with a concentrated coil to allow for the restricted installation space. The motor is built into the vehicle with a battery pack rated at 29 kWh.  Rheinmetall Automotive said that in the design of the new battery pack, it has worked based on the assumption that future electric vehicles and hybrids will mostly use underfloor batteries which do not diminish the vehicle’s loading capacity to any major degree while offering advantages in terms of weight distribution and integration into the vehicle’s structure.

The basic structure of the modular battery pack is made from aluminum into which customer-specific battery modules can be integrated. According to Rheinmetall Automotive, this arrangement is notable for its high energy density in relation to weight and its compact dimensions.  The battery packs have their own cooling system and are shielded from intrusion by a composite-fiber structure developed by an affiliate within the Rheinmetall Group specializing in protection systems.

The company’s product range for electric mobility also includes electric oil and vacuum pumps, electric coolant valves and actuators, an electric air-conditioning compressor along with heat pump module, as well as special lightweight components in aluminum. In developing its new electric mobility products, Rheinmetall Automotive said it has intentionally opted for the areas of energy storage and electric drive systems plus their peripherals.

For more information:  www.rheinmetall-automotive.com