Multifunctional Electric Axle

So far, the design and optimization of electric powertrains has been focused on providing optimal sizing of components, reducing the cost of the powertrain and maximizing its efficiency. However, future generations of electric powertrains will need to provide additional functionalities such as steering and torque vectoring. Additionally, some essential functionalities, like on-board charging and dc-dc conversion, that traditionally are provided by separate components could be integrated in the powertrain in order to reduce cost and size. Furthermore, the use of the same powertrain design in several applications can drive production volumes up and consequently reduce the fleet cost at the expense of using non-optimal solution in some applications.

In this context the Multifunctional Electric Axle project aims to study the possibility and cost-effectiveness of integrating as many of the aforementioned functionalities into an electric axle that could be used in a wide variety of applications. Specifically, buses, distribution trucks and long-haul trucks are considered as possible applications in order to accelerate the development of energy efficient heavy-duty electric vehicles in the market.
.
This project is expected to take advantage of previous research projects in machine design, testing and diagnosis, power electronics, powertrain simulation and optimization, charging, etc. In this way, adding previous knowledge to the list of functionalities that are to be integrated in the axle.