Industry cooperation for more efficient electric cars

Although electric cars are already significantly more efficient than modern combustion-powered cars, any improvement in efficiency, however small, can save significant amounts of energy.

Optimal magnetic field in the motor
To increase the efficiency of electric motors, their magnetic fields must be optimized. In a six-year collaboration, researchers from FRM II, the Chair of Metal Forming and Casting Technology (utg) at TUM and the Institute of Electrical Machines (IEM) at RWTH Aachen University have developed a new method for this: they emboss the material and thus selectively block the magnetic fields without impairing the mechanical stability of the highly stressed components. This allows the motors to rotate faster and work more efficiently.

Neutrons see magnetic fields inside
“Conventional methods only record the magnetic fields on the material’s surface. However, this is not very informative for the processes inside,” explains Dr Michael Schulz, Head of the Imaging Methods Group at the FRM II and MLZ and scientist at the ANTARES neutron radiography and tomography facility. “With our neutron grating interferometer, we can see exactly how the local magnetic fields inside the material behave.”

Funded by the DFG
German automotive supplier Mubea will collaborate with researchers from the ANTARES group at FRM II and MLZ for two years from spring 2024 to determine the most efficient embossing strategy for electric motor components. The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is funding the project at FRM II with over €136,000.

Simple idea leads to exciting development
Michael Schulz adds: “We are very pleased that in this project we have come together from the basic idea of embossing to a direct application for an industrial partner.” The researchers now look forward to new impetus to align their work with industry requirements.