Volkswagen says it has developed a pulse inverter internally that improves powertrain efficiency by 20%. That's a really big deal.The central focus of any electric car is efficiency. Batteries today do not have the same energy density as gasoline, and so in order to push a car or truck down the road using only battery power it requires every component to use electricity as efficiently as possible. Volkswagen says in a press release this week that its engineers have designed new powertrain components for its electric cars that are more efficient than the components used previously.
In particular, Volkswagen says its technical staff has now developed pulse inverters and thermal management systems internally that offer significant efficiency and cost advantage. The improved components are up to 20% more efficient, the company claims.
Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen Group, says, “The Volkswagen Group and its brands stand for first class products and technologies. Thanks to the size and breadth of the Group, as well as our in-house expertise, we can leverage enormous economies of scale. This benefits our customers and makes our vehicles even better.”
Volkswagen Pulse Inverter
The pulse inverter is the brain of the electric drive train and is largely responsible for efficiency and performance. For the first pulse inverter to be “designed by Volkswagen,” the developers of these core components redesigned the hardware and software from the ground up. Thanks to the modular toolkit principle, this can be implemented in everything from entry-level engines to sports cars with an output of over 500 kW and more in future. The technology is currently being developed for series production and can already be used with the next MEB generation.
According to Electrive, the pulse converter takes the direct current from the battery and converts it to the three-phase current needed for electric motors. That means all of the energy for the drivetrain passes through it. The pulse inverter is crucial for the reliability, safety, and efficiency of the drivetrain during acceleration and recuperation. If a pulse inverter does not work efficiently, valuable drive energy is lost in the form of heat. Since this heat must be dissipated, the cooling requirement increases which in turn increases the energy consumption of the cooling system.
Because the introduction of the SSP electric platform which will be used in the Volkswagen Trinity automobiles will likely be delayed by at least two years to 2026, if not longer, Volkswagen needs a technical platform on which new models and facelifts of existing models can be built in the coming years. Therefore, the MEB is being revised to become the MEB+ with shorter charging times, longer range, and “significant leaps” in automated driving functions.
Thermal Management Improvements
When it comes to thermal management systems, Volkswagen is working on entirely new solutions. While today a large number of individual modules connected with long hoses are used, in the future these will be replaced with an extremely compact, integrated thermal module. This will control the entire air conditioning, including for the high voltage battery, and therefore will have a major impact on a vehicle’s range and fast charging capability. The new all-in-one module is also significantly lighter, more robust, and more efficient than current systems. In addition to efficiency, the main focus of the development of all central electric drive components is scalability, because high economies of scale reduce costs.
Thomas Schmall, Volkswagen board member responsible for technology, says, “Our goal is to achieve technological leadership in electric mobility. That’s why we rely on our internal competencies. After battery cells and electric motors, we are taking over the development of pulse inverters and thermal management systems. In the future, this will make the Volkswagen Group one of the only car manufacturers in the world that is able to offer a holistically optimized complete system.”
Some readers may recall what a big deal it was when Tesla introduced the Octovalve on the Model Y, an improvement that added 10% to the range of the car. Then Tesla went ahead and further improved it over the course of the next several months. Imagine what improving efficiency for all Volkswagen electric cars will mean for the company and its customers.
The internal combustion engine and automatic transmission have been continuously improved over the decades. The development of electric power trains for trucks and automobiles is still in its infancy, relatively speaking. Expect many announcements like this one from Volkswagen and other car companies in the years to come. The cars of 2030 will be lightyears ahead of the vehicles being manufactured today in terms of efficiency and technical prowess.
Daniela Cavallo, Chairwoman of the General Works Council of the Volkswagen Group, said recently, “The know-how and innovative strength of the Volkswagen colleagues are unique worldwide. Promoting and exploiting this strength again and again helps us not only in competition, but also in the transformation of the company.”
The powertrain improvements are the product of Volkswagen Group Technology, which bundles Group-wide activities in the areas of batteries, charging, and electric components. It supports all the brands as a technology supplier for all the members of the Group. Subsidiaries PowerCo (batteries) and Elli (charging and energy) are also involved in the ongoing quest for technical superiority.
Among other things, the high tech portfolio includes the unified cell, which will be utilized in all Volkswagen Group vehicles as of 2025. It is expected to set a new benchmark in terms of battery technology. The division also includes the Platform Business, which covers cooperation with external partners like Ford and Mahindra. Around the world, Volkswagen Group Technology employs around 70,000 people.
The Takeaway
Efficiency will be key to smaller, less expensive cars like the rumored ID.2, which may be called a Golf to leverage the long and pleasant experience millions of Volkswagen customers have enjoyed with cars carrying that name. To make cheaper cars, automakers will need to equip them with smaller batteries. Making the entire package as efficient as possible will help those cars have the sort of range people expect, regardless of price. Faster charging while on the road will be greatly appreciated as well.
Volkswagen was slow out of the gate when it comes to the software that controls its electric vehicles and the company is still struggling to deliver a world class experience to its EV customers. But it is burning the midnight oil in an effort to correct the issues with its current cars and build the cars expected of one of the world’s oldest and largest automakers in the near future. With 70,000 people involved in the process, it has a good chance of becoming a technology leader very soon.
Source: Clean Technica