Electric Vehicles Pose New Challenges to Suppliers

BIRMINGHAM, MI – As electric vehicles come of age, new opportunities and challenges for automotive suppliers are being created.

EVs already are having an impact on the industry despite their slender market share, say speakers here at the annual Tech Crawl event sponsored by Autocom of Bloomfield Hills, MI.

J.D. Kehoe, director-product development, filtration and engine peripherals for Mahle Filter Systems in North America, says greater internal-combustion-engine downsizing, 48V hybridization and the development of electric traction motors are affecting the development of future powertrains.

Mahle’s corporate strategy is to keep on top of all the trends, he says.

EVs such as the Chevrolet Bolt, Nissan Leaf and Tesla have achieved high market profiles, though actual sales hover at 2% to 3@ of global deliveries, Kehoe says. However, Alix Partners of Southfield, MI, recently estimated that by 2023 more than 205 EV models will have entered the market, he says.

Mahle has expanded its portfolio of EV-oriented technology to offer OEM customers, Kehoe says. The supplier’s high-voltage electric traction motors employ Imbedded Permanent Magnet technology. The motors are liquid-cooled and are governed by Mahle-designed and -patented liquid-cooled controllers.

Manufacturers may specify voltages from 200V to 400V, based on the motor’s battery pack, Kehoe says. Power delivered by each motor ranges up to 100 kW or 134 hp, depending on vehicle design.

Mahle also offers automakers higher-voltage motors, which can operate in the 400V to 800V range, with up to 96% efficiency and peak power output up to 180 kW, or 240 horsepower. The design is flexible and adaptable to customer requirements, Kehoe says.

The motors’ lifetimes are unlimited, and their brushless design and construction means little or no maintenance is required, Kehoe says, adding Mahle is working to increase the motors’ power density.

For hybrids, Mahle offers 48V IPM synchronous electric motors, which operate in a range of 42V-52V. These provide peak output of 20 kW (26 hp) and continuous output of 13 kW (17 hp).

Inficon, a Swiss company that is one of the world’s leading developers and suppliers of instruments and devices for leak detection in air conditioning, refrigeration and automotive manufacturing, expects its services to be in greater demand as EVs become increasingly common.

“The market for electric vehicles is booming,” says Thomas Parker, Inficon’s North American automotive sales manager. “But to maintain a positive reputation for EVs, it is critically important for automakers to not only offer extended driving ranges and short charging times but also safe, high-quality drive technology.”

Leak testing is critical to reaching the quality levels needed throughout the production process, from battery-cell manufacture to vehicle assembly, to build customer confidence.

Parker points out that in today’s new age of electromobility, most consumers are not prepared to spend significant amounts of money to replace a traction battery after a few years of use. And they definitely do not want their vehicle to catch fire.

“Auto manufacturers and suppliers need to incorporate suitable leak-detection processes into their production operations,” the Inficon executive says. “Battery-cell electrolytes must never be allowed to escape or come into contact with water or humidity.”

Diana Mannino (photo, above), president of HBPO North America, which grew out of a joint venture assembled in 2004 by Hella, Plastic Omnium and Behr, notes much of the company’s product-development work in North America is focused on future electric- and autonomous-vehicle programs.

The new EV startups look at a front-end module a bit differently than traditional OEMs but the content is very similar to traditional engine designs, though space is available for cargo storage. The number of North American vehicle models equipped with HBPO front-end modules is expected to grow by 60% from 12 to 19 by 2022, Mannino says.

“Weight savings and reductions in warehouse space, assembly-line work stations and inventory investments also can be achieved,” she says.

One way to extend EVs’ range is to reduce their weight, but Mannino says HBPO’s front-end lightweighting is a balancing act. Automakers are seeking higher stiffness, better occupant safety and superior crash performance all at an optimized cost. HBPO offers plastic-metal hybrids with either metal or organic fiber “over-molded” with plastic.

HBPO recently modified an OEM’s original design and reduced weight by 25% while still meeting crash requirements.

“In another recent example, we challenged ourselves to see if we could design a carrier that could rival magnesium, often regarded as the best in weight and stiffness,” she said. “We succeeded at a lower cost, potentially saving the carmaker millions annually.”