E-MOBILITY
SPEEDING TO MARKET Aerodynamic optimisation of electric vehicles
How are traditional automotive technologies in body structures and chassis staying relevant in the EV revolution?
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s more and more OEMs pivot towards electric vehicle (EV) product lines, design and engineering
service providers must also adapt their off erings to meet the new EV demands on traditional automotive technologies, such as body structures and chassis. Vehicle range, speed to market,
packaging, safety, architecture and manufacturing costs are all key considerations for EV design that require signifi cant preparation. One automotive design and engineering service provider, Contechs, is ready to meet these requirements head-on.
CHALLENGES FACING EV DESIGN “The EV market is still very turbulent, with sales numbers going through peaks and troughs, according to published statistics,” says Iain Trueman, Electrical and Electrifi cation Director at Contechs. “One area that’s really key is to have quick turnaround, and this is where we see many of our
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customers will have to be fl exible to change. Programmes can’t have the traditional timeline of four years. So, companies need to be fl exible with their development and build this in early on. This also leads into speed- to-market, which is really crucial.” Unsurprisingly, range remains a
crucial challenge for OEMs within their EV development journey, from light electric vehicles (LEVs) all the way up to heavy-duty HGVs. “Range is very much a customer-
driven requirement, and OEMs must look at the key considerations they need to take into account in order to improve this, such as how range diff ers between vehicle types,” Trueman continues. “Companies have tried to fall back on traditional methods used in internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, where saving weight was the primary target. But designing for an EV is completely diff erent, and sometimes it can be diff icult to get people to think diff erently and be open to new technologies that are out of their comfort zone. You need to be able
to change your strategy for developing these types of vehicles to keep up with the rapid pace of development.”
IMPROVING RANGE Whilst the development of battery density has played a signifi cant part in increasing EV range thus far, the importance of vehicle eff iciency remains a critical area of vehicle development. Contechs has therefore identifi ed three primary areas aff ecting EV eff iciency: powertrain eff iciency, aerodynamic drag and vehicle mass. “Contechs started looking at
powertrain eff iciency,” explains Trueman. “We looked at rolling resistance and internal resistance of the motors, but also the aerodynamics of the vehicle, which is one of those ‘wins’ that you can get a huge amount of benefi t from, for very little. This approach needs to be instigated from the very early beginnings of the development phase, not included as an afterthought at the end of the process.”
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