Infinitum Electric, developer of the printed circuit board (PCB) motor (earlier post), announced an agreement with a leading US automotive supplier to support the development of a hybrid vehicle.

Under the agreement, Infinitum Electric will validate performance of its IEm Series motor using oil cooling techniques before building a purposefully designed motor for hybrid assist powertrains used for more efficient hybrid vehicles.

Twenty-five trillion kilowatt hours of electricity are consumed per year, of which 45% is consumed by electric motors. This leaves a significant opportunity for many industries, including automotive, to develop or replace machines using traditional electric motors with ultra, high-efficiency electric motors, which consume far less energy. Infinitum Electric is enabling this transition with its IEm Series of motors.

The IEm Series motor was specifically selected to optimize the reliability and range for hybrid vehicles. Designed without heavy iron cores and copper windings, the IEm Series of motors offers up to 250 kW power range, up to 25,000 RPM and power density of up to 12kW/kg.

By replacing the conventional laminated stator core with printed circuit board technology, mass and audible noise are significantly reduced, and the elimination of core losses significantly improves efficiency. Optimized magnetic configurations improve power density further and the core-less architecture maintains high performance at high speeds.

Additional product differentiators for this application include:

• Power densities are currently in the 3 kW/kg to 5 kW/kg range with potential to be extended to 7 to 12 kW/kg with active cooling.

• Current densities are in the range of 8 to 10 kA/in2 with the potential to be extended to 13 to 15kA/in2 with active cooling.

• No cogging torque, which helps extend transmission life.

• Motor noise is up to 15 dB lower than a conventional iron-core motor.

• High efficiency is constant over a wide range of speeds from 25% to 200% rated speed, which extends battery life and range.

Infinitum Electric motors can also be rapidly manufactured right where they are consumed, which streamlines assembly and production processes for OEM customers. Unlike other motor manufacturers that take months or years to develop new products, the simplicity of Infinitum Electric’s motor technology, along with its AutoFlux motor design software, enables quick production and testing for new mobility applications.

Users can easily input application requirements, evaluate design options based on cost and performance and create PCB design files within minutes.