With almost every brand having an Electric Car on the market or coming soon, it leads me to think, are there some generic designs of motor, and controllers that these firms are all using (like Lotus used to design Suspension for many brands). Setting up an efficient motor production line from scratch would need some advanced thinking - surely they are all buying into existing manufacturing engineering.
Any thoughts as to who the big players are?
Don't think Lotus designed suspension systems or indeed complete engines. They tended to fine tune existing designs as consultants to the makers.
Wouldn't the same apply to cordless drills? Just about as many makers of those as car makers.
IMHO, it's more likely to apply to the battery makers.
GKN Power systems supply drive shafts and EV motor systems to many car manufacturers.
Those are called "crate motors".
There are some for BEVs.
The big players don't use them.
GM put out an article a few months back, where they showed pictures of their "engineering fleet" of electric motors. And these will be what eventually appears in their vehicles. The things looked as ugly as a pile of used GM transmissions.
VW has a few "common platforms" for its vehicles, and the Volkwagon Microbus thing will use the same platform as one of the existing cars. Just change the body on top, retune suspension and so on. I hope they don't forget to put a gasoline heater in the glove box. Think how that will extend the battery range.
Paul
Andrew snipped-for-privacy@mybtinternet.com wrote in news:rro5rj$doo$ snipped-for-privacy@gioia.aioe.org:
Very interesting - thanks.
Actually the electric motors are VERY simple. I've made little ones for model planes, so am sure a manufacture could, The winding of the coils requires the sort of kit that winds any other leccy motor or alternator, so probably manufacture is subbed out to firms with it
Its the design, especially of the electronics, where the magic lies.
The Natural Philosopher snipped-for-privacy@invalid.invalid wrote in news:rrqcig$luk$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:
I think car motors are in another league. Some use welded copper bars as the field winding. Neobdinium magnets in armatures.
Not really a huge difference - that's a fairly standard way to achieve very high currents. and my motors had neodymium magnets in the rotors too.
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