A partnership with automotive powertrain manufacturer Vitesco Technologies will see researchers at the University of Windsor develop a more environmentally sustainable and economically viable motor for electric vehicles.

“Our research will help our industry partners to mass produce advanced, lower cost, and sustainable electric machines and gain a competitive advantage in the global electric vehicle marketplace,” says electrical and computer engineering professor Narayan Kar, director of the Centre for Hybrid Automotive Research and Green Energy (CHARGE) lab. “Sustainable production of this technology will reduce EV ownership cost, while addressing the rare earth permanent magnet supply chain risks.”

Electric motors primarily use rare earth-based magnets, but these elements pose several difficulties. They are expensive, accounting for 20 to 30 per cent of the total cost of the motors; are limited in quantity; and their extraction and refinement process can cause environmental damage.

Dr. Kar’s team will develop an electric drive unit with a rare earth free or reduced magnet motor, which will help produce a sustainable solution with lower costs, fewer carbon dioxide emissions, less supply chain risks, and a better ratio of cost to performance.

Vitesco Technologies, headquartered in Regensburg, Germany, is a leading international developer and manufacturer of cutting-edge drive systems for sustainable mobility. In 2023, it generated sales of almost $14 billion and employed around 35,000 people in 50 locations.

The company’s North American director of technology and innovation, Anand Gandhi, says recent years have shown a clear need for developing electric vehicles free of rare earth magnets. He touts the CHARGE Lab as a key academic partner in this work.

“The partnership between Vitesco Technologies and the University of Windsor has got off to a great start and we expect to further our collaboration in the coming years,” Dr. Gandhi says.

The project will also involve Ettractive, a developer of electric vehicle hardware, software, and systems based in Oldcastle; and professor Ofelia Jianu from the Department of Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering, who will provide expertise on developing, integrating, and testing an integrated thermal management system for the motor.

In addition to contributions from the industry partners, the effort has attracted grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Mitacs, totalling $3 million in cash and in-kind to fund Kar’s research over the next three years.

“During this time, we will train more than 20 highly qualified personnel at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels,” he says. “They will work alongside their industry partners, which will offer an enriching experience through significant research, technical, leadership, and professional skill development opportunities.”

He adds the students will collaborate with five engineers from Vitesco to address challenges using expertise, resources, and technology toward research, development, integration, and testing of the drive units.

“As the electric vehicle sector evolves, continued research and commercialization will enable the development of a sustainable local powertrain supply chain that will support economic diversification and further position Canada as a global automotive market leader,” Kar says.

To keep up with the latest in the CHARGE Lab, visit www.chargelabs.ca.