Schaeffler launches new electric motors, actuators, sensors and bearings for off-highway EVs

Germany’s Schaeffler Group manufactures a vast variety of “motion technology” products, including many EV components. The company recently introduced several new products aimed at the electric construction machinery market. Electric drive systems are increasingly showing up on construction sites, particularly in Germany, where some local governments have banned legacy ICE vehicles from urban sites.

Schaeffler has introduced a new line of 800 V liquid-cooled heavy-duty electric motors for all-electric and hybrid drive systems. These achieve especially high torques, a power-to-weight ratio (peak) of around 5 to 7 kW/kg, and maximum efficiencies of more than 97% in a speed range of 3,000 to 8,000 rpm. “The low losses of the drive motors are essential to allow long operating times between charging cycles on construction sites and ensure efficient use of energy,” Shaeffler explains.

The modular motor series consists of three variants with maximum outputs of 125, 299 and 315 kW. The only difference is the length of the active parts. The individual stator laminations and the A- and B-side bearing end shields of the motors are identical in each case, thus facilitating cost-efficient manufacturing. The stator windings are designed as flat wire (continuous hairpin) windings, also known as wave windings.

Recently, at bauma, Schaeffler also demonstrated a complete electric axle with integrated heavy-duty electric motor.

The offroad sector of Schaeffler’s Bearings & Industrial Solutions division now offers a comprehensive range of electric drives with continuous output of 1 to 300 kW for the construction equipment industry. Schaeffler can supply a wide range of active-part components and complete systems such as wheel-hub drives based on permanent magnet synchronous machines. All crucial manufacturing technologies also come from a single source: the stator laminations stamped in-house, the hairpin and wave winding technology, the automatically produced coil windings, and the HV plug connector systems.