Eaton, a power management company, says its Vehicle Group is developing gearing solutions for electric vehicles (EVs).
Leveraging its expertise in producing transmissions and contract manufactured gear-sets for passenger and commercial vehicles, the Vehicle Group says it aims to be a player in the global design, development and supply of EV reduction gearing. The new technology complements Eaton’s power electronics portfolio in the EV powertrain market.
Automakers face many challenges when developing an EV, such as optimizing efficiency, weight, noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), and dealing with packaging constraints. Eaton notes it can help manufacturers meet these challenges by applying its experience and in-house capability in the design, validation and manufacturing of high-precision, high-quality gearing systems for transmissions and powertrains.
“We are partnering with OEM customers to leverage our expertise in simulation, design and manufacturing to optimize the efficiency, NVH and weight of high-precision gearing systems tailored to specific customer needs,” says Anthony Cronin, director of EV gearing for Eaton’s Vehicle Group.
The company conducts a total system analysis to design EV gearing solutions that are optimized for efficiency and reliability – with low noise and manufacturing costs. A full-system approach is essential when tailoring a design to a specific customer need, as several factors influence the development of gearing solutions. Chief among those factors are the gears, bearings and lubrication system. To achieve optimization in these three areas, Eaton applies a series of in-house design and manufacturing techniques.
Eaton notes it has identified opportunities to improve gearing system efficiency by up to 1%, reduce weight by up to 20% and size by up to 10%. These benefits can be applied to both light-duty and commercial EVs. With EVs, even small efficiency improvements provide vehicle manufacturers new opportunities to manage vehicle range or improve cost and weight.
To learn more about Eaton’s Vehicle Group EV gearing solutions, click here.