Sign up for our popular daily email to catch all the latest EV news!
Continental has developed an innovative sensor technology, the e-Motor Rotor Temperature Sensor (eRTS), capable of directly measuring heat within the rotors of permanent magnet synchronous motors in electric vehicles (EVs). This pioneering technology provides a significantly more precise alternative to current algorithm-based heat projection methods, promising benefits for EV manufacturing and performance.
Key Highlights:
- Direct Rotor Measurement: The eRTS offers the first direct temperature measurement on the rotor of EV motors.
- Enhanced Precision: It dramatically reduces temperature measurement tolerance from a previous 15°C to just 3°C.
- Reduced Rare Earths: This improved accuracy enables a more cost-efficient use of rare earth elements in magnets.
- Performance Potential: The technology presents an opportunity for improving overall EV motor performance.
- Sustainable Design: It contributes to greater sustainability in the EV supply chain.
The eRTS system delivers substantially more accurate temperature data compared to traditional software-based simulations. This heightened precision, narrowing the tolerance range significantly, allows vehicle manufacturers to decrease the quantity of rare earth elements used. These elements are typically incorporated to enhance the heat resistance of magnets within the motors. By reducing the safety margin needed to account for temperature uncertainty, manufacturers can achieve cost savings and promote more sustainable sourcing.
Bin Huo, head of Continental’s Passive Safety and Sensorics (PSS) segment, stated, “With less resource consumption and lower costs, eRTS sensor technology is advantageous to current solutions. This innovation shows that investing resources and focusing expertise in our E-Mobility Sensors product center were the right decision.”
Rotors in EV motors operate under demanding conditions, frequently reaching temperatures up to 150°C. Effective temperature monitoring is therefore crucial to prevent magnet demagnetization due to excessive heat. Current methods, which estimate temperature based on stator sensor data, current measurements, and environmental factors, inherently include a wide tolerance. The eRTS’s ability to reduce this tolerance to 3°C provides manufacturers with new design flexibility. A considerable portion of expensive rare earth materials, previously necessary to cover the broader tolerance range for safety, can now be conserved. Furthermore, this precise measurement allows for the potential to safely optimize motor performance by operating closer to thermal limits.
The eRTS system comprises two main components: a mote element and a transducer element. The mote sensor unit directly measures temperature at the target area, near the magnet. This wireless mote is powered and communicates by the wired transducer, which is connected to the Electronic Control Unit (ECU). Located outside the EV motor on the chassis, the transducer transmits temperature information via a communication interface, utilizing Piezo ultrasound technology for both energy supply to the mote and data transmission.
Christoph Busch, head of the E-Mobility Sensors product center, emphasized the strategic importance of this development. “Our E-Mobility Sensors product center aims to increase efficiency and sustainability in electric vehicles,” he said. “The eRTS technology is a good example of this: reducing the use of rare earths contributes to a more sustainable supply chain.” Continental plans to continue expanding its portfolio of specialized sensors for EVs, building on its extensive experience in sensor technologies for various automotive applications.
Sign up for our popular daily email to catch all the latest EV news!
