POWERTRAIN
of its constituent parts. For example, 80% of braking actions are not done by the brake itself, but through regenerative braking in order to recuperate the lost energy into the vehicle’s battery. This is important because it aff ects the loads on the braking system, its durability – which will be extended - and its size and weight. Furthermore, as the battery has a very low centre of gravity, this will improve load transfers during turning and braking, making all these manoeuvres more stable. Automotive OEMs need to take
all these interrelated demands of the battery into account – a great challenge due to the fragmented nature of the electric vehicle ecosystem. Processes in the automotive manufacturing chain are traditionally siloed from design to production, but with greater consumer demand for electric vehicles comes great stress on the system. We at Hexagon recently unveiled
a 100% EV, which aims to integrate new product introduction from e-powertrain design to forming, assembly and quality inspection to
❝ Composite materials are another important part of trying to make EVs lighter
accelerate the global transition to EVs. The aim is to bring disjointed development processes and disciplines together to address challenges with greater insight and productivity. This will span a range of objectives, from increasing the eff iciency and durability of electric powertrains, to optimising manufacturing processes and quality.
HOW CAN BATTERIES BE MADE LIGHTER? Battery lightweighting is important, but it’s an eff ort with diminishing returns. Resources have been used to develop lighter battery trays or clamps, but over 80% of battery weight is in the cell itself. Even if the weight of the battery tray is reduced by 30%, it will only impact 6% of the overall weight of the battery – and
Q
Multi-scale material modelling helps engineers evaluate the safety and weight savings of replacing metals with polymers and composites
only 2% of the entire vehicle. In my opinion, our next eff orts
need to be focused on pouch cells. Although they come with their own challenges, they are lighter because they don’t have the outer metal case. Furthermore, they can be stacked more densely and, as a result, give better range with the same occupied volume.
Q
HOW CAN VEHICLES IN GENERAL BE MADE LIGHTER?
In every new generation of vehicles, models get heavier because we want more features and capabilities in a modern car. The only way to get away from this spiralling black hole is to optimise the vehicle as a whole, rather than as a sum of parts. Examples of this approach are becoming more
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