A brand new rear axle idea for small EVs has been developed by scientists on the Chair of Light-weight Car Building on the College of Siegen that may improve the vary of a small EV by 35%. The brand new rear axle idea will increase the obtainable area for the battery within the physique and with the brand new battery area, it will possibly provide as much as 71 miles in further vary.
Whereas the restricted vary has been a difficulty with the smaller EVs on account of its restricted obtainable battery area, the brand new rear axle could remedy the restricted area downside for EV producers. The venture has been headed up by Professor Dr.-Ing. Xiangfan Fang and his workforce as a part of the “E-MLTA” analysis venture (growth and testing of a space-saving multi-link torsion axle) along with Ford, VW, and different venture companions.
“Our thought was truly quite simple: we ‘turned’ the rear axle and moved the axle’s cross member to the rear, in the direction of the trunk,” says Prof. Fang. “This will increase the world obtainable underneath the automotive for the battery on the entrance.” With the intention to preserve the automotive’s standard driving traits, nonetheless, the Siegen automobile producer needed to make additional changes to the axle — a number of hyperlinks and joints, amongst different issues, to make sure that the automotive behaves usually when braking and doesn’t go the wrong way up.
“We first designed the brand new axle on the pc and built-in it nearly into the physique so as to have the ability to exactly calculate and simulate the properties,” explains venture worker Jens Olschewski.
To make use of it as a take a look at automotive, the scientists used a Ford Fiesta that was made obtainable by their venture accomplice Ford. The axle was applied in {hardware} with the venture companions from the trade and put in within the Ford Fiesta. To imitate the burden of the battery, heavy metallic plates had been positioned underneath the ground of the gasoline engine. The automotive was then geared up with in depth measurement know-how and examined extensively by specialists on the take a look at bench and on a take a look at observe at Ford in Belgium.
The analysis workforce then carried out take a look at drives with all workers of the venture taking part on the visitors coaching space in Olpe. The consolation and security of the automobile had been maintained through the assessments, however the driving dynamics of the automotive carried out barely worse than automobiles with a traditional rear axle in some respects.
“However the distinction is so small that we will actually compensate for it by additional changes,” Prof. Fang is satisfied. Representatives of the 2 venture companions Ford and VW had been impressed by the outcomes general, and each firms had been “very ” within the new rear axle.
With all the information the scientists gathered from the assessments, Prof. Fang and his workforce of researchers are engaged on additional bettering the brand new axle idea. The group is in discussions with a number of automotive producers with the goal of putting in the rear axle as commonplace in small electrical automobiles. “We might be very proud if, in just a few years, e-cars drove round with our axle,” says Prof. Fang.
Together with VW and Ford, there have been a number of firms concerned within the venture — Mubea, Vorwerk Autotec, Schmedthenke Werkzeugbau, and CP Autosport GmbH had been additionally concerned within the E-MLTA venture. The Technical College of Cologne was additionally on board as an additional venture accomplice. Additionally along with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Xiangfan Fang and Jens Olschewski, additionally concerned had been Dr. Timo Schlichting and Tobias Niessing.
Of the 1.6 million euros in funding, 530,000 euros went to the College of Siegen. The venture was funded by the European Regional Growth Fund (ERDF) NRW with 530,000 euros.
Supply: Universität Siegen
Picture: Andreas Göbel
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