English company with 100 years of engineering experience, Ricardo, has designed, developed and tested Alumotor, a prototype electric propulsion module, a rare earth metal free synchronous reluctance motor.
Alumotor was delivered within the Innovate UK’s funded consortium led by Ricardo, to support sustainable mobility, addressing issues related to the environmental impact of materials for electric motors.
“Alumotor offers a low cost, robust, sustainable alternative to conventional copper wound permanent magnet machines. This synchronous reluctance motor is free from rare earth metal and critical raw materials, such as cobalt”, said Ricardo.
The new motor uses aluminium hairpin windings, and the machine is oil cooled to generate a power output of 214kW and maximum efficiency greater than 92%, making it suitable for light commercial vehicles and off-highway applications with full scalability to suit other applications.
“We are excited to be at the forefront of testing aluminium hairpin windings, and are achieving strong performance data that will support future go-to-market activities”. This is a significant development, showing true innovation, and supports our reputation as experts in the design and development of future sustainable technologies.”, said Dr Dragica Kostic-Perovic, Ricardo Chief Engineer responsible for the Alumotor project.
We remind you of one of last steps of the company: Ricardo and Wuzheng Group, Chinese agricultural and commercial top player vehicle industry, have entered into a co-operation agreement to develop electrification product solutions for tractors and agricultural machinery.
