Company Name: Vitesco Technologies Holding China Co., Ltd 

Project Name: EMR4 axle drive

Award Category: Innovation Sustainable Product

Product / Service Introduction

Vitesco Technologies, a leading international supplier of modern drive technologies and electrification solutions,  will deliver its EMR4 axle drive to a TOP international  Motor Group’s global B/C-segment electric vehicle. In total the order has a volume in the 2 billion euros magnitude and about 3 Mio units.  The production is planned  in Vitesco 3  plants worldwide from June 2024

EMR4 is the fourth generation of axle drive, developed by Vitesco Technologies and follows the successful EMR, it  is a highly integrated 3-in-1 drive platform: consisting of an electric machine, power electronics and a gear box,  400V/160kW.

Through further optimization measures, the use of new technologies and comprehensive industrialization know-how, the global development team succeeded in making the EMR4 platform  Contact more efficient and powerful. The silicon carbide (SiC) in the inverter of the drive platform, for example, have played a significant role in this. 

Explanation of Circular Economy Practice

Overview of Product/Service Lifecycle

Product Design:

• Magnets: change of process of magnet fixation in the rotor: EMR3 = glueing, EMR4 = culking

• Improved weight: EMR3 = ~77kg, EMR4 = ~66kg at same power of 150kW --> benefit: saving of magnets, aluminium, copper results in lower CO2 emissions of raw materials

• Use of recycled aluminium with much better GWP per kg

Production:

• CO2 neutral prodution.

• Local sourcing 

• Low Scrap during production

Useage:

• Efficiency increase of 3...5% from previous generation to EMR4

• Lower weight of EMR4 vs. EMR3 results in lower net vehicle weight

Recycling and Recovery: 

• No potting --> separation of components possible

• Inter-cover can be removed and electronics can be separated either for repair or recycling

More Product / Service Highlights

• Extended platform to even better life cycle assessment

  As a result of Life Cycle Engineering, the fourth generation of its fully integrated electric axle drive platform (EMR4, Electronics Motor Reducer) is being broadened by a new option to enable an even better life cycle assessment: A new rotor without permanent magnets is now part of the platform development. This rotor forms the core of an externally excited synchronous machine (EESM), which works without rare earths. This reduces the rotor costs, and it avoids the carbon footprint that comes with mining and processing the ores. 

• Global Manufacturing footprint

  3 locations to serve global electrification market:   Incheon (Korea)    Brasov(Romania)   Tianjin (China) 

• Supply Chain Management

  Localized supply chain to reduce CO2 generated from transport, boost local economy