Project description
Scalable electric drive solution for electric vehicles
Electric cars have gained ground globally but have yet to overcome performance issues related to internal combustion engines: their low range and high procurement costs limit their ability to gain greater market share. The EU-funded ESKAM project is developing a compact unit that integrates the high-speed electric motor, dual-transmission system and power electronics that power the electric vehicle’s axle. The lightweight design is suitable for large-series production. By integrating the ESKAM unit, car owners can dramatically reduce the operating and maintenance costs and enhance the value of their vehicle. Furthermore, they can increase the driving range and prevent the loss of load capacity.
Objective
An increasing trend toward electrically powered vehicles can now be discerned worldwide. However, battery electric vehicles are still contending with the problems of high procurement costs and low range, and are therefore penetrating the market only very slowly. Groschopp (electrical drive technology) teamed up with the SMEs REFU (high-performance electronics and battery storage systems), Vogel (gearbox manufacturing) and EcoEnGines (demonstration, sales and partners for electric vehicle conversion in Netherlands) to develop, manufacture and commercialise ESKAM, the Electrical Scalable Axle Module. The innovative concept is to combine to high-speed rotating electric motors and a dual transmission with a therefore optimised power electronics as an axle module. The lightweight design technology is suitable for large-series production. The result is a scalable, cost- and energy-efficient solution. Initially we will introduce ESKAM in a demonstration project on a Dutch island with focus on electric vehicle conversion of the very popular vehicle models Land Rover Defender, Renault Espace and Toyota Land Cruiser. The consortium will provide ESKAM, complete kits including battery and auxiliary systems, as well as training and service to car workshop. With the change in the automotive segment towards e-mobility, we have the chance to enter the profitable automotive market. Our ambition is to strengthen our businesses by this new pillar. With ESKAM we expect to reach a turnover of about 34 M€ in 2023 and to create 72 new jobs.
In the feasibility study, a detailed analysis of the best-fitting market segments within the used vehicles market will be conducted, including the involvement of pilot customers for the validation of the business idea, as well as the elaboration of a thorough business plan for commercialisation. The findings of the feasibility study will be integrated into the subsequent SME Phase 2 project to perfectly facilitate the market introduction.
Fields of science
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
41747 VIERSEN
Germany
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.