THE COMMUNICATIONS HUB OF THE ELECTRIFIED POWERTRAIN Up to speed Fast charging meets pacey performance in this Lotus-derived demonstrator Read all back issues and exclusive online-only content at www.emobility-engineering.com ISSUE 021 | SEP/OCT 2023 UK £15 USA $30 EUROPE €22 Material witness Staying in contact Focus on battery surface analysis Meeting the challenges of interconnect and busbar systems
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4 Intro End-to-end design is proving its worth in the development of electric aircraft powertrains and fast-charging battery EVs 6 The Grid Yamaichi Electronics unveils board-to-cable system with Connector Protection Assurance, Samsung develops graphene-free liquid cooling, BMW and Airbus team up with Quantinuum to improve fuel cell designs, and much more... 16 In Conversation: Marko Lehtimaki Verge Motorcycles’ CTO explains why he sees rider comfort as the most important factor in developing e-bikes 20 Dossier: Nyobolt EV Put a new type of fast-charging battery in a sportscar to demonstrate its capabilities to OEMs and users, and you get this version of the Lotus Elise 34 Focus: Battery surface analysis Better cell designs are beginning to emerge thanks to the growing range of techniques for analysing battery surface materials 44 Insight: Battery welding How advances in the EV battery industry are being tracked by developments in methods of welding their components together 52 Digest: Dieseko Woltman pile driller/driver We report on what went into converting this rig from diesel to zero-emissions power 58 Deep insight: Electric motors for aircraft Industry insiders tell us that while motor technologies for e-aircraft are in place, certification is another issue 64 Focus: Busbars and interconnects The challenges of developing these systems in the face of rising EV battery voltages and their mass production 74 PS: Submarine lessons for battery EV fire safety How the closed environment of a submarine provides a fresh approach to improving the safety of EV batteries 16 52 58 20 3 September/October 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering September/October 2023 | Contents
THE COMMUNICATIONS HUB OF THE ELECTRIFIED POWERTRAIN Up to speed Fast charging meets pacey performance in this Lotus-derived demonstrator Read all back issues and exclusive online-only content at www.emobility-engineering.com ISSUE 021 | SEP/OCT 2023 UK £15 USA $30 EUROPE €22 Material witness Staying in contact Focus on battery surface analysis Meeting the challenges of interconnect and busbar systems Advancing on all fronts Publisher Nick Ancell Editorial Director Ian Bamsey Technology Editor Nick Flaherty Production Editor Guy Richards Contributors Peter Donaldson Rory Jackson Technical Consultants Ryan Maughan Danson Joseph Dr Nabeel Shirazee Design Andrew Metcalfe Ad Sales Please direct all enquiries to Nick Ancell nick@highpowermedia.com Tel: +44 1934 713957 Subscriptions Please direct all enquiries to Frankie Robins frankie@highpowermedia.com Tel: +44 1934 713957 Publishing Director Simon Moss Marketing & PR Manager Claire Ancell General Manager Chris Perry Office Administrator Lisa Selley Volume Five | Issue Five September/October 2023 High Power Media Limited Whitfield House, Cheddar Road, Wedmore, Somerset, BS28 4EJ, England Tel: +44 1934 713957 www.highpowermedia.com ISSN 2631-4193 Printed in Great Britain ©High Power Media All rights reserved. Reproduction (in whole or in part) of any article or illustration without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. While care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information herein, the publisher can accept no liability for errors or omissions. Nor can responsibility be accepted for the content of any advertisement. SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are available from High Power Media at the address above or directly from our website www.highpowermedia.com. Overseas copies are sent via air mail. EDITORIAL OPPORTUNITIES Do you have a strong technical knowledge of one or more aspects of e-mobility systems? As we grow we are on the lookout for experts who can contribute to these pages. If that sounds an interesting challenge then don’t hesitate to explore the possibility of writing for us by emailing ian@highpowermedia.com ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES If you are looking to promote your company to engineers active in the electrification of vehicles, we have various advertising packages available to suit your needs. With a maximum of 25% of the publication allocated to advertising we offer a unique opportunity to become one of E-Mobility Engineering’s exclusive advertising partners, ensuring you are not lost in a crowded market. To discuss the opportunities and how we can work with you to promote your company please contact Nick Ancell. nick@highpowermedia.com +44 1934 713957 THE COMMUNICATIONS HUB OF THE ELECTRIFIED POWERTRAIN SUBSCRIBE TODAY visit www.highpowermedia.com ALSO FROM HPM In this issue we highlight the importance of endto-end design. Anyone who says there can never be commercial electric aircraft or fastcharging EVs are not taking into account the advances that can be achieved by optimising every element in the powertrain, from the energy source to the inverter and then the motor. This is illustrated by some of the articles in this issue. On page 58 for example, designers of electric motors for aircraft say the technology for electric flight is available, but it is the range and the certification challenges that are taking up engineering time at the moment. At the same time, on page 20 Nyobolt has been demonstrating its fast-charging battery packs in a modernised Lotus Elise, showing charging times of just a few minutes. And on page 16, Verge Motorcycles has also been pushing the limits of performance with the end-to-end design of its machines, and we talk to its CTO Marko Lehtimaki about the developments in that respect. All these e-mobility systems need the latest technology for assembly, so our focus on busbars and interconnects (page 64) and battery welding (page 44) consider the different ways in which e-mobility platforms can be assembled reliably and cost-effectively. Nick Flaherty l Technology Editor EME Update Each month the E-Mobility Engineering e-newsletter provides a snapshot of the top stories on our website during the previous month. To keep up to date with the latest technological developments, sign up today at www.emobility-engineering.com/e-newsletter 4 September/October 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering Intro | September/October 2023 Read all back issues online www.ust-media.com UST 51 : AUG/SEPT 2023 UK £15, USA $30, EUROPE €22 Running the show Focus on new power management architectures Cost-cutters The emergence of high-end servos that don’t break the bank Certified kit The tests Primoco had to pass to allow its One 150 to be used for NATO missions ELECTRIC, HYBRID & INTERNAL COMBUSTION for PERFORMANCE ISSUE 148 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 New solutions for engine construction The future of non-metallic materials IndyCar engine design debate Who was first post-Goossen? Cutting-edge nitro engine Jaska Salakari’s mind-boggling V2 www.highpowermedia.com UK £15, US/CN $25, EUROPE e22
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6 September/October 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering The Grid Two-step locking in just one push Yamaichi Electronics has added Connector Position Assurance (CPA) and integrated contact protection to its fourth generation of board-to-cable connector for battery packs (writes Nick Flaherty). Version 4 of the Y-Lock Pullforce connector system uses a one-push locking mechanism where the flexible flat cable (FFC) or flexible printed circuit board (FPC) is inserted into the connector using a pre-assembled stiffener. In the V4 design the stiffener automatically engages in two steps, first via lateral locking hooks and then via the double front locking. Guide pins on the system support blind plugging and contacting for applications that are difficult to access or where space is limited to a height of 4.5 mm. This is particularly suitable for battery packs with limited space, where the FFC/FPC is not under voltage after disconnection from the connector, which has been qualified to the LV214 low-voltage standard. Disconnection is achieved simply by pulling out the FFC/FPC, so mechanical actuation of the connector is not required. However, the integrated contact protection in the contact area of the connector ensures that the FFC/ FPC is covered by the stiffener from all four sides, and there is no danger if the cable is still under voltage after it has been released. The CPA option on V4 provides additional locking of the cable side with the connector. It is located on the stiffener side, and latches with the connector when actuated. That means the FFC/FPC can only be released after the CPA has been unlocked, even with the front and side locking. The V4 family of connectors has contact distances of 1.3 or 1.8 mm, which can be individually adapted to the requirements for clearance and creepage distances. All versions are available with different pitches and pin counts. CONNECTORS Connector Position Assurance on a board-to-cable connector for battery packs
The Grid 7 E-Mobility Engineering | September/October 2023 Cell proves its worth for eVTOLs About:Energy has characterised the P45B high-power battery cell from Molicel being used in several eVTOL designs (writes Nick Flaherty). The P45B has a 10C pulse discharge capability and a 3C charge capability but can still provide a 242 Wh/kg nominal specific energy. Its low DC internal resistance, as measured by About:Energy, is 13.8 mΩ, which bodes well for high C-rate use cases, particularly where the thermal management system is constrained. About:Energy used its equivalent circuit models to simulate the energy density for the advertised 120 W maximum continuous discharge power, and simulated conditions in a climate chamber with forced-air convection (the conditions under which most companies test cells). The simulation found that the cell became thermally limited before reaching the minimum voltage cut-off. By using models from About:Energy’s Voltt platform, battery designers can apply their own thermal boundary conditions to test the P45B’s performance. The high power performance has led to the Molicel cells being designed into eVTOL taxis from Archer and Vertical Aerospace, where charging times and power availability for landing are critical. About:Energy also used its tools to visualise how the Moline P45B would behave in different use cases, such as when testing in a chamber during cell technology validation for battery design, or using bottom cooling during detailed design phases. For a 4C continuous discharge with forced-air convection inside a climate chamber, the model found that the cell cap temperatures were almost 20 oC higher for the bottom cooling case compared to the cell simulated under climate chamber conditions. In fact, in the bottom cooling case, the cell almost reached the manufacturer’s extended operating temperature limit of 80 oC. In the climate chamber case, the temperature gradient across the cell was around 6 oC; in the bottom cooling case it increased to almost 15 oC. It is critical that product-focused pack conditions are emulated early on in the product development process to account for this. About:Energy then developed a custom eVTOL profile scaled to a typical 21700 cylindrical cell level and simulated it using the 2D electrically and thermally coupled equivalent circuit model for the P45B. This includes a spatially resolved thermal parameterisation of the cell. This found that the temperature where it would normally be measured for the cell (the side surface of the cell, halfway from either end) was always below 60 oC, while the temperature of the cell cap was around 67 oC. This is higher than the normal operating temperature limit of the cell. While not yet a thermal runaway risk, it could lead to rapid cell degradation, leading to limited battery life. The 2D thermal modelling capabilities allow battery designers to investigate axial and radial thermal gradients for diverse use cases to quantify the optimal use conditions for their cells. POWER ELECTRONICS A generic aerospace eVTOL mission comparing temperatures axially for a bottom-cooled Molicel P45B cell using a Simscape 2D thermal model
8 September/October 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering The Grid Graphene-free liquid cooling Researchers at Samsung have developed a design for a liquid-cooled thermal management system (TMS) for large lithium-ion battery packs (writes Nick Flaherty). They first built a coupled 3D electrochemical/thermal model of a battery pack that avoids the use of materials such as graphene. Simulation showed it is the contact resistance that has the greatest impact on the pack’s thermal performance, and the temperature performance across the pack could be determined from a single cell. The team used a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool from Siemens to simulate the 3D flow of liquid around the cells in the pack and the spatial variance involved in heat generation to address thermal management issues. For large battery packs that operate at the high discharge rates typically used in EVs, CFD studies have shown that liquid cooling is more effective than air cooling, enabling the design of more compact and efficient batteries. The researchers then built a 30-cell test pack from commercially available 18,650-cell Li-NCA/C cells with six cells in series and five in parallel. Elements made of highly conductive metal transferred heat from the cylindrical cells to the coolant channel and then to the coolant liquid, which in this case was water rather than glycol. The characterisation of heat generation was obtained by constructing a 3D CFD-based electrochemical model of the battery that could be validated against experimental results, then used to simulate and evaluate the performance of the TMS under various operating conditions. The project used two tools from Siemens. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ was used to simulate the flow and conjugate heat transfer, while Simcenter Battery Design Studio was used to obtain electrochemical input data. The combination was used to simulate the performance of the battery. The 3D TMS model was used to compute the performance of the representative battery pack. It was found that the average temperature difference between the hottest and coldest cells was only 0.5 Kelvin (K). Observing a clear pattern in the temperature rise, the researchers found that a properly defined temperature coefficient could predict the temperatures of other cells from the temperature of just one. In EVs, power for operating the TMS comes from energy extracted from the battery. Reducing the energy requirement for the TMS reduces its drain on the battery, optimising coolant flow rate. The Simcenter STAR-CCM+ model revealed that more heat is stored in the battery pack in lower coolant flow velocity conditions, indicating that at lower flow velocities less heat is transferred into the coolant. In most battery packs, the maximum temperature variation is limited to 3 K along the direction of the flow stream. The experimental model easily met the 3 K limit and could effectively cool the pack, even at low-flow velocities. The results of simulations agreed with experimental measurements, validating the model against the experiment with greater than 90% accuracy. The temperature rises in the battery pack using the experimental TMS are of the same order as those reported in research literature that used graphene as a phase change material (PCM) based TMS. Although such PCMbased TMSs are compact, this new one does not require the use of such novel materials and can therefore be produced at lower cost. Other battery packs built using the symmetry of the total pack were successfully simulated, together with the TMS, as suitable candidates for e-mobility powertrains. THERMAL MANAGEMENT Simulation of Samsung’s liquidcooled lithium-ion battery pack
BorgWarner Charging forward to accelerate the world’s transition to eMobility Our 800 Volt Silicon Carbide Inverter optimizes electric propulsion systems power. Increasing range Decreasing cost
10 September/October 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering Cheaper, more efficient MOSFETs IDEAL Semiconductor has developed a technology that can improve the efficiency and cut the cost of power MOSFETs for e-mobility applications (writes Nick Flaherty). The SuperQ process technology can also be applied to SiC MOSFETs and GaN transistors in the future, said Mark Granahan, CEO and founder of iDEAL Semiconductor. SuperQ uses a combination of new dielectric materials, etching and atomic layer deposition (ALD) to improve the performance of power devices for motor control. The process enables a much lower specific onresistance (RSP) for a much lower onresistance in the device, which in turn improves the switching performance as the die is smaller. iDEAL aims to produce transistors up to 850 V, as the same process can be used for devices from 60 to 850 V rather than needing multiple technologies to cover the voltage range. “Our technology gives a voltage blocking of 19-20 V/µm, a 30% improvement over other processes, so our epitaxy is much thinner,” said Granahan. “The conduction area is also greatly expanded so we have more area, and that improves the RSP. The larger conduction area and higher doping concentration deliver an effective highvoltage blocking technique.” Using chip-making tools from the CMOS world also makes the process simpler and cheaper. The company is using the process to build its own 650-800 V MOSFETs with foundry partners including Polar Semiconductor, although the devices are not automotive-qualified. However, they can be used for other e-mobility platforms such as e-bikes. “Rather than epitaxial implant with over 18 masks and long process times, or trench and refill with 14 masks, our etch and ALD deposition has around 10 masks so our capital cost is low and the process is shorter,” said Granahan. “Our MOSFET structure is very simple. The mask count is about 10-11, and that plays to the reliability of the device. Reliability testing has proven the technology, and it shows that the breakdown voltage and leakage current are stable over time.” SuperQ is also being used to boost the switching frequency of designs. “The structure of the device is optimised for fast switching,” said Granahan. “We can easily break 150 kHz, which is the upper range of power designs.” As for SuperQ’s application to GaN and SiC as well as silicon, Granahan said, “Our perspective is that SiC and GaN are great power materials but they have a lot of fundamental issues in manufacturability that the industry has yet to work through.” POWER ELECTRONICS Quantum jump speeds FC designs BMW and Airbus are using a quantum computer to improve the design of hydrogen fuel cells (writes Nick Flaherty). The two are working with quantum computing company Quantinuum on a design flow that combines quantum and classical techniques to speed up research. Quantinuum uses a Honeywell-developed quantum computer based on trapped ions that can simulate the chemical reactions of catalysts in the fuel cells. The three companies are modelling the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on the surface of a platinum-based catalyst to improve the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell designs for electric cars, trucks and aircraft. ORR is the chemical reaction in the process that converts hydrogen and oxygen into water and electricity, and it limits the efficiency of the process. It is relatively slow and requires a lot of platinum catalyst, so there is great interest and value in better understanding the underlying mechanisms involved in the reaction. This design of new catalysts can shorten the development time, but owing to the complexity of the ORR’s potential energy landscape, atomiclevel modelling of the process is challenging. The catalyst materials can also exhibit strong electronic correlations, which cannot be accurately described with methods such as Density Functional Theory (DFT). DFT modelling is seen as too costly and lengthy to perform with classical techniques but is suitable for algorithms that run on quantum computers. FUEL CELLS The SuperQ process improves the on-resistance of power devices for motor control
The Grid 11 E-Mobility Engineering | September/October 2023 Technical consultants Ryan Maughan is an award-winning engineer and business leader with more than 20 years’ experience in the High-Performance, Heavy-Duty and Off-Highway Automotive markets. Prominent in the development of Power Electronics, Electric Motors and Drives (PEMD) for these demanding applications, he has successfully founded, scaled and exited three businesses in the electric vehicle space. He is currently CEO of eTech49 Limited, an advisory business specialising in disruptive hardware technology in PEMD. In addition, he is Chairman of EV North, an industry group representing the booming EV industry in the north of England, a board member of the North East LEP and an adviser to a number of corporations. Danson Joseph has had a varied career in the electrical power industry, having worked in areas ranging from systems engineering of photovoltaic powerplants to developing the battery packs for Jaguar Land Rover’s I-Pace SUV. With a PhD in electrical machines from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, Danson has focused on developing battery systems for automotive use. After completing the I-Pace project he formed Danecca, a battery development company with a focus on prototyping and small-scale production work, as well as testing and verifying cells and packs destined for mass production. Dr Nabeel Shirazee graduated from Leicester University in 1990, where he studied electrical and electronic engineering. An MSc in magnetic engineering followed at Cardiff University, where he continued his studies, earning a PhD and developing a permanent magnetic lifting system that has been patented by the university. His interest in magnetics led to a patented magnetic levitation system that was awarded the World’s No 1 Invention prize at INPEX in the USA. In 1999, he founded Electronica, a magnetics research and design consultancy. Since then, he has been involved in various projects, including the design of an actuator motor for a British aerospace company. He has also licensed the levitation technology in France. Ryan Maughan Danson Joseph Moulding method for pack covers Materials firm Sabic has successfully moulded an EV battery pack top cover using low-pressure injection moulding (writes Nick Flaherty). This form of injection moulding caters to the large size and functionality of the top cover, and is a new approach for the high-volume production needs of the future for EVs. Results of initial trial tests produced results that included clear split line from the moulding and clearly defined holes as well as flat parts and a good surface finish. The smooth opening and closing of the injection moulding tool and a smooth ejection process with no difficulties when de-moulding the battery pack cover are also important for the production process. The thermoplastic used in the top covers include fire-retardant thermoplastics that contribute to thermal insulation and increased functional integration of the battery pack. Following the results of the trial tests, the Sabic team will continue to demonstrate the feasibility of low-pressure injection moulding technologies to manage the clamp force as well as reduce any warpage of the material and ensure the process can reliably meet industry requirements relating to dimensional tolerance. The battery top cover tool is said to provide advantages for EV batteries that go beyond reduced complexity and lightweighting. The particular injection moulding and injection compression moulding process can lower carbon emissions and energy usage, reducing environmental impact. BATTERY COMPONENTS Dr Nabeell Shiirazee Researchers in the US have developed a solid-state lithium-air battery cell with a potential energy density of 1000 Wh/kg (writes Nick Flaherty). The capacity is potentially four times that of the current lithium-ion battery technology used in heavy-duty vehicles such as aircraft, trains and submarines. The electrolyte is a mix of polymer and ceramic materials that takes advantage of the ceramics’ high ionic conductivity and the high stability and high interfacial connection of the polymer. The electrolyte is based on Li10GeP2S12 nanoparticles embedded in a polyethylene oxide polymer matrix. The result allows for the critical reversible reaction that enables the battery to function – lithium dioxide formation and decomposition – to occur at high rates at room temperature. It is the first demonstration of this in a lithium-air battery. “We found that solid-state electrolyte contributes around 75% of the total energy density,” said Mohammad Asadi, Assistant Professor of chemical engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology. “That tells us there is a lot of room for improvement, because we believe we can minimise that thickness without compromising performance, which would allow us to achieve a very high energy density.” Prof Asadi said he plans to work with industry partners to optimise the battery’s design and engineer it for manufacturing. The prototype cell is rechargeable for 1000 cycles with a low polarisation gap, and it can operate at high rates. BATTERIES Lithium-air’s quadruple potential March/April 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering
12 September/October 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering The Grid AM advance in stator production Reliability boost for aluminium cells Researchers in the US and UK have used additive manufacturing (AM) to develop a 3D-printed motor with materials previously considered too brittle to use (writes Nick Flaherty). The researchers, at the University of Sheffield in the UK and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US, have developed a 10 kW prototype motor they are scaling up to 40 kW for e-mobility applications. The prototype uses a stator built from electrical steel with a higher percentage of silicon, 6.5%, rather than the 3% in today’s motors. This more brittle steel reduces energy losses but could not previously be reliably used for the laminations in the stator. Using AM also allowed the researchers to implement The stator has 30% less steel than other motors Researchers in the US have developed a high-power solidstate battery using aluminium that avoids previous reliability issues (writes Nick Flaherty). The team, from the Georgia Institute of Technology, worked with Novelis, which manufactures aluminium and is the world’s largest aluminium recycler. Despite an energy capacity of 990mAh/g without changing its volume, aluminium tends to fracture during charging and discharging, and so fails after a few cycles, so the researchers tested more than 100 versions with different materials added to the aluminium foils to understand their behaviour in a solid-state battery. The project combined non-pre-lithiated aluminium foil negative electrodes with microstructures of indium in a solidstate lithium-ion cell. The 30 µm-thick Al94.5In5.5 negative electrodes were a different stator design with more intricate geometric lines that further reduce energy loss. The design of the stator was developed at Sheffield using its AM systems and tested at UW-Madison. It showed an improvement in torque density of 22% by using 30% less steel. The printing process took 20 hours for a stator for the prototype. This could be scaled up to one suitable for a 40 kW motor using an industrial AM system. “When you have 30% lower mass, you would expect that your torque would also be lower, but that wasn’t the case,” said FNU Nishanth, post-doctoral research assistant at UW-Madison. “So this shows that you know you’re actually going to get a net torque density improvement in this machine, and if we can further improve combined with a Li6PS5Cl solid-state electrolyte and a LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2based positive electrode in a cell that delivered hundreds of stable cycles with high current densities of 6.5 mA/cm2. The chosen microstructure enables improved charging and discharging within the aluminium matrix, opening up the use of aluminium batteries in EVs and aircraft, according to the team. this, making a more efficient motor would be a game-changer.” Alexander Goodall, a doctoral student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Sheffield, said, “This project has shown the large potential that AM has for electrical machines, with lightweight, efficient structures that have never before been possible using any other manufacturing technique.” “We needed to incorporate a material that would address aluminium’s fundamental issues as a battery anode,” said Yuhgene Liu, a PhD student and researcher on the team. “Our new aluminium foil anode demonstrated markedly improved performance and stability when implemented in solid-state batteries, as opposed to conventional lithium-ion batteries.” MOTORS BATTERIES The solid-state cell could be used in EVs and aircraft
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EVM Asia Expo 2023 Tuesday 19 September – Thursday 21 September Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia www.evmasia.com eMobility Singapore Summit 2023 Thursday 21 September Singapore www.escom-events.com/emobilitysingapore The 2nd China Green Steel Summit 2023 Thursday 21 September – Friday 22 September Shanghai, China www.ecvinternational.com/GreenSteel 7th E-Mobility Power System Integration Symposium Monday 25 September Copenhagen, Denmark www.mobilityintegrationsymposium.org MOVE America 2023 Tuesday 26 September – Wednesday 27 September Texas, USA www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/move-america AEC 2023 AVERE E-Mobility Conference Tuesday 26 September – Wednesday 27 September Utrecht, The Netherlands www.avere.org/avere-e-mobility-conference-aec New Mobility Congress 2023 Tuesday 26 September – Thursday 28 September Lodz, Poland www.kongresnowejmobilnosci.pl E-Motive Wednesday 27 September – Thursday 28 September Schweinfurt, Germany www.e-motive.net Hydrogen Americas 2023 Summit & Exhibition Monday 2 October – Tuesday 3 October Washington DC, USA www.hydrogen-americas-summit.com Battery Show India Wednesday 4 October – Friday 6 October Greater Noida, India www.thebatteryshowindia.com Busworld Europe Saturday 7 October – Thursday 12 October Brussels, Belgium www.busworldeurope.org European Zero Emission Bus Conference 2023 Monday 9 October – Thursday 12 October Brussels, Belgium www.zebconference.eu EV World Congress Tuesday 10 October – Wednesday 11 October London, UK www.evcongress.solarenergyevents.com Automotive Manufacturing Meetings Tuesday 10 October – Wednesday 11 October Madrid, Spain www.spain.automotivemeetings.com Mobility Live Wednesday 11 October – Thursday 12 October Sydney, Australia www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/mobility-live HESE – Hydrogen Energy Summit & Expo Wednesday 11 September – Friday 13 September Bologna, Italy www.hese.it eMove 360 Hybrid Tuesday 17 October – Thursday 19 October Messe Munchen, Germany www.emove360.com VDI Congress ELIV Wednesday 18 October – Thursday 19 October Bonn, Germany www.vdiconference.com/eliv 14 September/October 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering
2nd China Automotive Carbon Neutral Summit 2023 Thursday 19 October – Friday 20 October Shanghai, China www.ecvinternational.com/AutomotiveCarbon 2nd Annual E-Motors Technology Conference Thursday 19 October – Friday 20 October Munich, Germany www.lp.bcf-events.com/2nd-annual-e-motors-technology-conference Green Auto Summit Tuesday 24 October – Wednesday 25 October Stuttgart, Germany www.greenautosummit.com Global Mobility Call Tuesday 24 October – Thursday 26 October Madrid, Spain www.ifema.es/en/global-mobility-call CharIN Testival II and Conference Europe 2023 Tuesday 24 October – Friday 27 October Valencia, Spain www.charin.global/events/charin-testival-europe-2023-spain EV Summit 2023 Monday 30 October – Tuesday 31 October Oxford, UK www.evsummit.biz Advanced Engineering Wednesday 1 November – Thursday 2 November Birmingham, UK www.advancedengineeringuk.com 2nd Global EV Show Monday 6 November – Tuesday 7 November Dubai www.globalevshow.com 4th European Electric Vehicle Batteries 2023 Wednesday 8 November – Thursday 9 November London, UK www.wplgroup.com/aci/event/european-electric-vehicle-batteries-summit E-Charge 2023 Thursday 16 November – Friday 17 November Bologna, Italy www.e-charge.show EVE Tech Asia Exhibition & Conference Wednesday 22 November – Thursday 23 November Marina Bay Sands, Singapore www.evetechshow.com European EV Lightweight Summit 2023 Thursday 23 November – Friday 24 November Frankfurt, Germany www.ecvinternational.com/EuropeanEVLightweight 4th Future Battery Forum 2023 Monday 27 November – Tuesday 28 November Berlin, Germany www.futurebattery.eu London EV Show 2023 Tuesday 28 November – Thursday 30 November London, UK www.londonevshow.com Thermal Management Expo Europe Tuesday 5 December – Thursday 7 December Stuttgart, Germany www.thermalmanagementexpo-europe.com Adhesive & Bonding Expo Europe Tuesday 5 December – Thursday 7 December Stuttgart, Germany www.adhesivesandbondingexpo-europe.com Foam Expo Europe Tuesday 5 December – Thursday 7 December Stuttgart, Germany www.foam-expo-europe.com Automotive Meetings Queretaro Tuesday 20 February – Thursday 22 February Queretaro, Mexico www.mexico.automotivemeetings.com Diary E-Mobility Engineering | September/October 2023 15
16 September/October 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering The CTO at Verge Motorcycles tells Rory Jackson why rider comfort is more important than aesthetics in its hubless direct-drive e-bike Easy rider The riding experience is important in consumer EVs, especially electric motorbikes. Persuading veteran riders to go electric is far more than a matter of mitigating range anxiety, as the bikes are ridden for recreation as much as commuting, if not more. Engineering for factors such as control response, weight distribution, and rider comfort is therefore of even higher priority for two-wheeled EVs than their four-wheeled cousins. At Verge Motorcycles, CTO Marko Lehtimaki oversees the development of technologies in the Finnish company’s motorbikes. This has led to the distinctive hubless rear-wheel-drive Verge TS and its three variants – the TS itself, the TS Pro and the TS Ultra. Despite the bike’s iconic appearance though, he and his company have given function top priority. Function has long been a focus for Lehtimaki, having started software programming during his schooling in Seinajoki, a city with a particularly strong culture of entrepreneurialism. That culture played a major part in him founding and leading a number of companies in subsequent decades, centred largely on software development and related aspects of IT. He cannot disclose the project where he first worked on an EV, but principally it involved working on HMI systems and related software for some major brands in electric automotive while serving as CEO of his company AppGyver. His introduction to the EV world was therefore via the driver experience route, something he has carried over to Verge. Motor and motorcycle Although Lehtimaki only became CTO in February earlier this year, he has been involved with Verge in an unofficial capacity since 2018, when his brother Tuomo and Ville Piippo (now chief product manager) founded the company. “The original concept for the motor’s design came from a couple of engineers and designers, including Ville and my brother, who’d built and tinkered with hot rods and other cars for years,” he says. “Through this culture of building and trying new things, despite not knowing if they’d work, they tried to solve a key challenge with electric motorcycles. “That challenge was that e-motorbikes were designed largely using the centuryold architecture of IC-engined bikes: they’d swap the engine for an electric motor, a battery pack where the gas tank used to be, and the controls and power transmission stayed as before. “But when you put a 100 kg battery 60-70 cm from the bottom, you destroy the rider’s experience because the centre of gravity [CoG] is way too high. Even reviewers who want to believe in the electric transition can’t come away from such bikes with a good feeling about them.” Anticipating that the kinds of hubwheel motors used in e-scooters could never provide motorcycle-levels of horsepower, the team explored alternative and all-new designs, until they conceived the hubless electric rim motor and iterated it towards creating a working prototype. “After founding the company, many industry experts told us the idea was doomed. Even university professors at the top of their fields in magnetics told us it wasn’t feasible, but still we pushed on, trying different materials, and although the motor didn’t hugely change its outward appearance throughout its iterations, the inner architecture and components were reengineered repeatedly for 4 years. “So it might sound like I’m embellishing, but when reviewers started testing the bikes, comments honestly changed from the negative to ‘Why doesn’t everyone do this?’” These reactions stem from a number of benefits of the motor’s design. An obvious one is the bike’s extremely high torque, its maximum figure ranging from 700 to 1200 Nm, depending on the model. Also, by removing all the transmission components, the battery pack can be placed at the bottom of the frame. With pack and motor both at the bottom, the CoG is lowered considerably, making it much easier Finland-based Verge Motorcycles has drawn widespread attention for the iconic look of its bikes and their hubless, direct-drive electric motors (Images courtesy of Verge)
E-Mobility Engineering | September/October 2023 17 Marko Lehtimaki | In conversation lower volumetric energy density but faster charging and discharging rates without any risk of overheating or loss of lifespan. “All the early software in the motor as well as the bike was built in-house, which is important because, as eyecatching as the motor is, what’s far more valuable is what that motor technology allows you to do,” he emphasises. “As well as everything about the space, CoG and weight optimisation, what many people don’t realise is that, unlike an IC engine, an electric motor can potentially be controlled at the millisecond level. But if you have any kind of power transmission in your bike, you lose that fidelity in traction and handling because you add at least hundreds of milliseconds of delay between motor and wheel. “However, because we have a directdrive electric bike, we get an extremely high resolution of control and feedback, which unlocks the possibility for things like recognising and classifying traction abnormalities, theoretically down to for the rider to control the bike. “By removing the transmission, we cut the number of moving parts to just the two wheels,” Lehtimaki says. “But of all the benefits of our motor design, it’s the low CoG that people really notice the most. We asked some experienced reviewers how much they thought the motorcycle weighed: most guessed that it had to be something below 150 kg, but in fact it weighs 245 kg. “They don’t always believe that figure, because the bike’s as easy to manoeuvre as a scooter, but that’s just how important a low CoG is in electric motorcycle design.” And, having moved the motor and its related control components outside the body of the motorbike, Lehtimaki and his team have been left with copious space inside for the electronics, thermal management, connectivity and so on. By Lehtimaki’s estimates, it has also freed up 30% more volume for the battery, providing longer range between charges – 250 km in the TS, 350 km in the TS Pro and 375 km in the TS Ultra – as well as allowing the use of cells with a The hubless motor enables the bike’s centre of gravity to be positioned very low, enhancing rider handling and comfort, and freeing up internal space for adding battery cells
18 September/October 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering In conversation | Marko Lehtimaki detecting individual grains of sand in the road. That gives us a huge advantage in writing smart software for keeping the rider in complete control over every aspect of their riding experience.” Data-driven EVs With the Verge TS, TS Pro and TS Ultra all now commercially available, the computing power and processors inside them have been factory-set, to undisclosed parameters but to the satisfaction of Lehtimaki and his team that all the software-defined feature enhancements they may want can be patched into the motorbikes remotely, once fully written and tested in-house. “We upgraded the computer hardware in the motorbike several times before scaling up manufacturing,” he says. “In Finnish engineering, you don’t ship something until you’re sure it’s perfect, and at 1200 Nm in the TS Ultra we’ve created a bike with the highest available torque in the world. But in software terms, we’re still far from using all the available power, and there’s much more to be explored. “That includes things like machine learning models for understanding terrain types, particular conditions and parameters of roads being crossed, how slippery the road is in real time; these have never been seen in motorcycles before. Couple that with data-driven decision-making and you can achieve automatic modes and adjustments in the motor itself, as well as in the HMI in terms of information, recommendations and graphics that can be presented to the rider.” AI research and its facets are nothing new to Lehtimaki, and he baulks at using terms such as AI, machine learning or anything else that could lead mainstream media to label his company’s product ‘the AI motorcycle’. However, he affirms that the motor’s biggest untapped potential lies in the execution of advanced algorithmic prediction engines that could maximise the usefulness of the direct-drive powertrain and other subsystems in the motorbike. “Machine vision and related data collection techniques will also result in real-time digital twinning of the motorcycle’s surroundings and decision engines for the driver’s controls, for greater safety and a better overall riding experience,” he says. “And while I’ve worked with those technologies before, doing it in a team that’s actually shipping motorbikes isn’t something anyone else has ever done until now. “It also means setting the safety bar for motorcycles higher than any previous bike OEM, so this isn’t just technology for technology’s sake; our users, their experience and safety are of paramount importance.” Experiencing AI While users’ quality of experience might sound an abstract concept, Verge separates it into three particular goals. One is the rider’s handling of the bike, a key part of which is moving the CoG to the bottom. “The software helps a lot as well though, not only the motor control, battery management and vehicle control, but also the interaction with the user and how they might be able to configure the bike’s riding modes for their own satisfaction regarding throttle response, regeneration, speed and torque,” Lehtimaki says. The second goal is safety, not just in terms of how the software might manage controls such as the automatic adjustments of the powertrain and controls on the user’s behalf, but also The direct-drive motor could enable millisecond-level control, with algorithmic prediction engines to assist the driver in hazardous road conditions or terrains The motorbikes are designed to behave as smart devices, with 5G connectivity and a detailed HMI for customising riding mode parameters and viewing stats
E-Mobility Engineering | September/October 2023 19 informing the user of safety-critical information, in accordance with how the AI has been trained to analyse and prioritise incoming data. “These are not autonomous vehicles, and unlike cars and trucks it makes no sense for full autonomy to be the direction for them to move in,” Lehtimaki comments. “Cars are primarily utilitarian vehicles, used for commuting, shopping and other functions that could be automated. While premium motorcycles can be used to these ends, more often they are ridden for leisure, excitement and experiencing particular routes and scenery. “So, owing to the balancing needed, you’d never want the bike to ride itself. But it definitely makes sense to provide better, sensible default traction modes depending on riding conditions, or at the least intelligent recommendations regarding detection of moisture or gravel under the wheels, or excess temperatures in the powertrain that might benefit from slowing down for a while.” Recommendations are also a central factor in Verge’s third AI goal, which encompasses additional intelligent services that riders might not expect from their motorbike. That means warning about storms on the route ahead, the presence of roadworks or other road conditions, or similar issues of concern that might conflict with the user’s preferred riding style. Each bike will be able to learn its user’s preferences regarding such variables, and hence tailor its recommendations, through previous usage data. “Through AI, the motorbike can know everything about you, and help and guide you appropriately,” Lehtimaki says. “We’re not simply talking about some superficial ChatGPT clone, more an intelligent co-pilot that understands the road and real-world conditions as much as it does the health and performance of the powertrain.” HMI Just as Lehtimaki worked on HMIs in his earliest days with EVs, so the HMI on the Verge has played a large part of his work at the company. In addition to integrating a unique motor, a novel system architecture and powerful computer processors, the bikes also feature a large tablet screen between the handlebars through which the rider can view health and status updates, or select and customise their riding modes. “From the outset, we wanted the motorcycle to feel and behave like a smart device, including of course being updateable over the air,” Lehtimaki notes. “It follows that they’re fully connected vehicles, and might be the first 5G-enabled bikes. “Software updates come almost weekly, with improvements in algorithms for user-related things like estimated charging durations, remaining range based on battery charge and driving conditions, and the riding mode customisation portal, which includes fine details over traction control, acceleration and regeneration curves, and other factors you might not be able to tailor in electric cars. “And although the maintenance requirements are hugely reduced by eliminating the transmission and many other moving parts, we’ve also focused on diagnostics. That allows users to decide through the HMI if they’re happy with us receiving their performance data to provide accurate remote diagnostics.” Production Verge’s initial manufacturing began in late 2022, although it has approached production cautiously. “Many companies before us have managed to design, engineer, prototype and homologate their motorcycle, but then made the mistake of rushing through production and then having to recall huge amounts of units owing to flaws,” Lehtimaki says. “We’re therefore trying to scale up at a pace we can sustain, where we can be sure we’re only delivering high-quality units.” That said, Verge is seeking to exploit new EV manufacturing technologies, including automated machinery, to the point that it views its factory as its second major product after the e-motorbike. “In the next few years we plan to scale up from manufacturing hundreds of motorbikes a year to thousands and then tens of thousands,” Lehtimaki says. “However, we’re not seeking to build a lower quality, mass-production model. We want to build the most advanced bikes that have the best ride experience, made from the best components, technologies and materials. “That costs money of course, but we got to where we are by not making compromises on any aspect of the bike, and we plan to keep it that way in the future.” Marko Lehtimaki Marko Lehtimaki was educated in the city of Seinajoki in Finland. He founded and led his first company from 2001 to 2006, while studying Computer Science at the University of Helsinki from 2004 to 2007. In 2007, he founded the Kasey Group, which was set up to develop bespoke mission-critical enterprise software, including manufacturing systems for the automotive industry, and flight and leg management systems for aviation; he is still the group’s CEO. In 2011, he founded and became CEO of AppGyver, which pioneered ‘nocode’ software development (creating software through GUIs and configuration rather than conventional programming) and which was acquired by SAP in February 2021. From 2009 to 2013, Lehtimaki also co-founded and led two companies, one centred on a visual app development platform for artists, the other for the EU’s first equity crowd-funding platform. He became a board member for Verge Motorcycles in December 2020, before becoming its chairman in June 2022 and joining as CTO this February. He is also an official member of the Forbes Technology Council, a networking organisation for technology executives, which he joined in 2015.
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