AUTOMOTIVE DESIGNSECTION TITLE
POWER PACKED Te battery system is the heart of any EV, but why choose lithium iron phosphate (LFP)? Compton says, “Tere’s a handful of reasons for this. Firstly, it can be fully charged up to 100%, and with no nickel or cobalt it’s more environmentally sustainable. Also production costs are lower, and from a safety perspective, in the unlikely event that there is a puncture to one of the packs, the chances of thermal runaway are reduced.” Mindful of moisture, he adds, “Tree
battery enclosures are mounted alongside the chassis rails. Te enclosure lid and electrical connections are completely sealed against external ingress. Sensors alert the operator in the unlikely event of damage leading to water ingress.” Te choice of motor is also interesting, Compton explains, “We use a permanent magnet axial flux motor. It’s a very new technology that larger OEMs would not use. It offers us the ability to have an even weight distribution, and is in keeping with our philosophy of working closely with suppliers to develop these new ideas together.” For suspension, inspiration came not
ABOVE: The purely electric, rugged 4x4
BELOW: The EV has been designed with aerodynamics at the fore
from industrial vehicles but from the rally world, with heavy duty springs designed for high impact, high wear environments. Where components in the drivetrain have been selected off-the-shelf, the highest specification has been ordered.
LIFETIME BEST Instead of built-in obsolescence, it is designed out from the start. “We expect these vehicles to last at least 50 years,” notes Compton. “Tey are expensive, and in order to make them a good investment they must be upgradable over time. At some point battery technology will improve, so you unbolt the old ones and replace them. Motors, axles, everything is designed to be easy to swap in and out.” Te testing process is being overseen
by a British off-road driving association (BORDA) and Lantra-qualified off-road driving instructor who has built his own test track, a logical development bearing in mind where these vehicles will likely end up. “We partnered with him right from the first prototype,” Compton adds. “His instructions are to use the vehicle to try and break things so we can find out stress points or points that need reinforcing, as well as give us a general sense of how capable it is off-road. We also record a lot of data, heat generated, torque produced, etc. Troughout 2024, we intend to go much more in-depth, and include cold weather testing in Scandinavia.”
Compton is also interested in other
real world performance figures. For example, what will towing do to battery life? He says, “To accelerate the testing phase, we are partnering with early adopters who have put in orders. We are supplying them a vehicle to use and in return we can get large amounts of live test data. We are keen to work with companies directly so we can really understand exactly what happens under these workloads.” Te vehicle’s manners on-road are also
currently coming under scrutiny. “We’ve got this amazing off-road vehicle, so how can we start injecting comfort without compromising this ability? We’re now working on things like sound insulation and fine tuning the suspension.” Te design will be further optimised in the early part of the year, with a plan to produce the first 50 trucks by the middle of the year. A new factory is on the horizon, and by 2027 Munro expects to sell 2,500 vehicles annually.
For more information visit
www.munro-ev.com
www.engineerlive.com 7
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