ELECTRIC TRANSPORT
LEVS: AN EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY SOLUTION
Around the world, people are putting their faith in lightweight electric vehicles (LEVs) in an effort to lower emissions, reduce noise pollution and boost
urban air quality. David Latimer, CEO of Magnomatics, looks at the growing popularity of micromobility and highlights the role innovative magnetically geared motors play in this exciting market
sacrificing individual mobility.
ASSESSING LEV EFFICIENCY While traditional micromobility solutions such as conventional bicycles have been used for
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s the world looks to decarbonise, innovative mobility solutions are appearing. Already,
we have seen an explosion in the popularity of LEVs – or micromobility solutions – such as e-bicycles and e-scooters. Micromobility holds great promise for the
world’s traffic-choked cities, emerging as a possible solution to problems such as congestion, air quality and noise pollution. It is also a convenient and affordable alternative to public transport, provides a practical solution to the perennial first-and-last- mile need, and improves accessibility. Another key driver for the adoption of micromobility solutions is that they boast substantial environmental benefits.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Road transportation is the largest emitting sector of greenhouse gas emissions, producing 27% of the UK’s total emissions in 2019. LEVs have great
potential to significantly reduce CO2 emissions from the transport sector as their increased adoption means fewer vehicles that emit smoke, carbon, and other harmful gases. A study by shared e-scooter platform Lime
found that using e-scooters in Paris for a year helped save over 330 metric tons of carbon emissions in the city. Similarly, Singapore-based e-scooter rental firm Neuron Mobility, which runs schemes in three UK regions, announced that it replaced three million car journeys globally in 2021, saving 844 tonnes of carbon emissions. LEVs not only reduce CO2 emission levels
because of their electric propulsion systems, but they also require less energy because they are smaller and lighter. This means that they can function with smaller batteries, and they require fewer raw materials for production. All in all, they are more sustainable throughout their lifecycle than other transport options without
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decades, the primary factor behind the current micromobility trend – which continues to innovate at tremendous speed – is electrification. Thanks to advances in technology, complete electric powertrains can be easily integrated into micromobility platforms. The question, however, is whether LEVs are
efficient? For many e-bicycles and e-scooters, powertrains have already become commodities. In this instance the priority is cost, not efficiency. However, low efficiency reduces payload and range, which means more charging, which is the opposite of the objective of introducing LEVs in the first place, namely lower energy use. Reliable motors, in particular innovative
magnetically geared motors, are a key enabling technology for micromobility to ensure efficiency. Magnomatics’ revolutionary magnetic gears have been implemented in a range of innovative industry solutions and, having achieved success at large scale, the company has turned its attention to much smaller machines, including drives for eVTOL aircraft for urban air mobility and personal micromobility vehicles. The company’s patented Pseudo Direct Drive
(PDD) consists of a magnetic gear mounted inside a stator. The outer magnetics of the magnetic gear are attached to the inner bore of the stator, and copper windings in the stator are used to drive the inner rotor of the magnetic gear. This is a relatively high-speed electric motor with a relatively low load, which results in low currents and, hence, low temperatures. This in turn brings great efficiency, long life, and prevents demagnetisation of the outer magnet array. The torque in the inner rotor is then geared up in the novel polepiece rotor, typically by between 5 and 10:1. The result is a very compact and highly efficient electric motor, which is perfect for micromobility vehicles.
ENERGY MANAGEMENT - Autumn 2022 21 The benefits of innovative magnetically geared
motors such as PDD against conventional generator technology, particularly for LEVs, are drastic reductions in motor size, no minimum cooling requirements, and reduced maintenance requirements. Ultimately, the lower mass and compactness of the PDD generator, when combined with partial load superior efficiency, low speed, high torque technology and improved reliability, makes it ideal for meeting the requirements of the broad range of innovative new LEVs being developed.
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS Embracing micromobility is becoming an increasingly exciting option in the search for sustainable transport solutions – they decrease emissions and pollution, they are cost-effective, and they provide people with more accessible and versatile modes of transportation. As developments in this space continue to
gain momentum, using innovative magnetically geared motors will be a key differentiator in ensuring efficient, reliable, and sustainable micromobility solutions.
Magnomatics
www.magnomatics.com
David Latimer
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