POWERTRAIN DESIGN Electric Simulation


Simulation central to the design of a new electric vehicle powertrain aiming to carve up to 25% off cost, size and weight.


❱ ❱ A whole system approach and the extensive use of simulation in the design process will result in an EV drive train with higher efficiency as well as lower weight, size and cost


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KN Automotive is working with Drive System Design and the University of Nottingham on an £8 million project to design


and develop a world-leading electric vehicle powertrain for the global market. The “ACeDrive” (Advanced Cooling and Control of High Speed e-Drive) project is backed by match-funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC). Already progressing through concept selection, it aims to achieve the level of technology and performance outlined in the Automotive Council’s roadmap for 2040 and be production ready by 2023.


SMALLER, LIGHTER, MORE EFFICIENT ACeDrive is aiming to be the world’s lightest and most efficient electric vehicle powertrain suitable for the volume market. To achieve this it adopts ground- breaking concepts in cooling and system integration, leading to a significant reduction in the number and size of components, the core targets for the programme are a 25% reduction in both packaging size and cost, a 20% drop in weight and a 10% increase in efficiency compared to current equivalents. The ACeDrive project will deliver a complete system that combines a downsized electric motor, optimised transmission and high-frequency inverter within a single unit, enabling shared


10 /// Automotive Test & Validation Vol 2 No. 2


cooling and a remarkably compact housing. Not only does this reduce the packaging size and cost; fewer interfaces means less internal friction, improved transmission alignment and a boost in efficiency and NVH management.


COLLABORATIVE APPROACH GKN Automotive is responsible for the design of the ACeDrive system, including the overall packaging and the development of the motor, inverter and transmission. Following detailed simulation and analysis, final design will commence in Q3 2019. Prototyping, rig and vehicle testing will follow in 2020, before a vehicle demonstrator equipped with the prototype system is unveiled for public demonstration in Q1 2021. The project will be based at the GKN Automotive Innovation Centre in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, with support from consortium partner Drive System Design in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, as well as the University of Nottingham.


SIMULATION-LED DESIGN Drive System Design specialises in the field of electric drive unit efficiency and NVH optimisation. Its simulation-led approach will optimise ACeDrive as a whole unit, thereby identifying key trade- offs much earlier in the design process than is usually possible.


The company combines its innovative use of simulation with enhanced test capabilities that will meet the growing requirements of the automotive industry for higher speed electric motor testing – up to and beyond 20,000rpm, and with voltages over 800V. Simon Shepherd, Head of Electrified


Powertrain at Drive System Design, said: “Our whole system approach to engineering will help to combine next-generation electronic components, ground-breaking integration and a high-speed motor, to deliver significantly greater power density and efficiency with lower cost to OEMs.” Alongside Drive System Design, the


University of Nottingham will work on the power electronics modules and advanced integrated cooling. Central to the ACeDrive concept will be the use of advanced SiC transistors, enabling higher frequency control unlocking efficiency improvements, enabling a high speed, next-generation design. Gordon Day, General Manager at GKN Automotive Innovation Centre, said: “In partnership with Drive System Design and the University of Nottingham, we are developing a truly advanced eDrive system, more compact and cost-effective than other technologies on the horizon. Our ambition is to help the UK take the lead in electric powertrain design and manufacturing capability.”


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