Global automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler’s innovative systems increase the range of electric vehicles while enabling the use of the vehicle’s comfort features without sacrificing range. The brand’s high-efficiency wheel and transmission bearings significantly reduce friction and energy loss. Intelligent and highly integrated heat (thermal) management components and systems increase the range by up to 50 kilometers.
While the number of electric vehicles on the roads around the world is increasing every day, the short range of these vehicles is a concern for drivers. One of the most fundamental ways to extend the range of electric vehicles is to reduce friction loss. Schaeffler has developed highly efficient transmission bearings to prevent this loss, which significantly reduce friction and save up to 50 watts of energy compared to conventional bearings. While this saving has a direct impact on range, it can also be used to heat the side mirrors or steering wheel in winter cold without reducing the vehicle’s range. Schaeffler also ensures optimum load distribution with transmission bearings specially manufactured for the high rotational speeds of the input shafts in electrically driven transmissions.
Saving on vehicle production costsMatthias Zink, CEO of Schaeffler Automotive Technologies, stated that they have developed solutions to address drivers’ concerns about range and said, “Our wide range of components and systems for all-electric powertrains and our smart technical solutions reduce the power consumption of electric vehicles, extend their range and make them more efficient in daily use. Drivers no longer need to charge their vehicles frequently. Depending on the design of the vehicle, vehicle manufacturers can downsize the battery with the savings in power consumption, thus saving on the production costs of the vehicle.”