As per the goals of the European Competitiveness in Commercial Hybrid and AutoMotive PowertrainS (ECOCHAMPS) project, Ricardo Innovations has developed a new 48 V e-motor and inverter combination that it says delivers a 50% power density increase compared to alternatives.

ECOCHAMPS brought 25 European commercial and academic partners together to design powertrains with at least 20% overall efficiency improvements and 20% weight and volume reductions. They based their comparisons on the market’s best-in-class hybrid vehicles at the start of the project. The team was encouraged to keep cost premiums below 10% over conventional products and to develop systems for a range of vehicles, including passenger cars, light delivery trucks, city buses and long-haul heavy-duty trucks. In the end, the targets were achieved for all vehicle classes with a Technology Readiness level of 7. The project’s results will be published and presented at the IEEE ECCE in September .

“The new Ricardo 48 V e-motor and inverter that we have announced today is a demonstration of the very significant strides that are possible by applying the latest thinking to the engineering of electric powertrain architectures and components. We look forward to working with our partners to help pull forward the technology, which will enable automakers to create a new generation of better performing and highly cost-effective 48 V hybrids that offer close to the fuel efficiency of full hybrids at a fraction of the cost,” says Ricardo MD Thomas Gutwald.

Source: Ricardo