Author: Marc Ziegler

Report from the ATZ Congress "Powertrains and Energy Systems of Tomorrow 2022"

ATZlive Congress on Powertrains and Energy Systems of Tomorrow – A Hybrid Event in Two Respects

At this year’s ATZlive congress on Powertrains and Energy Systems of Tomorrow, developers and researchers from two different technical disciplines came together. There is generally little contact between them, but interaction is urgently needed, because vehicle and powertrain developers are dependent on energy suppliers and grid operators and vice versa.

The ATZlive congress Powertrains and Energy Systems of Tomorrow was a hybrid event in two senses of the word. On the one hand, visitors could take part both virtually via live stream and in person and, on the other, the event combined the themes of two separate congresses “The Powertrain of Tomorrow” and “Grid Integration + Electrified Mobility.”

The focus was on subjects relating to the transformation in vehicle powertrains, the technological solutions in the accompanying infrastructure and the supply of primary energy. The experts in both fields have issues in common, but the approach and the status of development in each industry are very different. In the transport sector, the market for electric vehicles is already taking off and researchers are focusing on the ongoing development of existing technologies. By contrast, many grid operators are still in the concept phase, for example in relation to the use of interim storage systems and a fleet of electric vehicles for leveling out the peaks in electricity demand, which is known as peak shaving.

NO BLACKOUTS CAUSED BY ELECTRIC VEHICLES

One of the people to confirm that the grid can cope with the increased demand for electricity resulting from the massive rise in the number of electric cars on the road was Alexander Krug, Partner at Arthur D. Little. However, in his keynote speech he also predicted that the total amount of energy required for charging purposes would reach 126 TWh by 2030. He regards the real challenge as being not the stability of the grid, but instead the much higher charging capacity needed to supply fleets of battery electric trucks, for example.

Using the example of the Taycan, Porsche identified the main cause of carbon emissions during the life cycle of an electric car as being the battery, which is responsible for almost 40 % of the total CO₂. Otmar Bitsche, Director E-Mobility at Porsche,  nalyzed the options for cutting these emissions by optimizing the battery size and the charging infrastructure and by carefully planning the recycling process, which opens up considerable potential.

RETURN OF THE WHEEL HUB MOTOR

Dr. Akeshi Takahashi, Manager of the Research and Development Group at Hitachi, presented a compact, lightweight in-wheel drive system that fits in a 19-inch rim and has a maximum power output of 60 kW. The system combines the motor, inverter and brake in a single unit and has a power density of 2.5 kW/kg. In addition, components such as drive shafts are no longer needed. Overall, the energy losses are 30 % lower than with conventional configurations, because the wheels are driven directly.

Ticker and related topics

PRESENTATION OF THE SUSTAINABILITY AWARD IN AUTOMOTIVE

For the first time, the ATZ/MTZ Group and the mobility experts from the management consultancy Arthur D. Little (ADL) presented the Sustainability Award in Automotive jointly. It recognizes outstanding examples of sustainable solutions in the fields of environmental and climate protection plus society and governance in the automotive and mobility industry.

EIGHT AWARD-WINNERS IN THREE CATEGORIES

The winners in the Service field of the Mobility Concepts category were T-Systems International and Continental with their Guardian Angel system, which improves road safety, in particular for cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. Ampeco won in the Business Models field with its user-friendly electric-vehicle charging platform. The Infrastructure field was headed by two companies: Resonant Link (USA) with its wireless electric vehicle charging solution and Lapp Mobility with an electric-car charger for use in domestic plug sockets.

In the Technology category, the jury presented the award to IAV in the field of Drive Engineering for its set of electric components that can be used to convert commercial vehicles with combustion engines, which permanently reduces noise and emissions and extends the life of the vehicle. In the Materials field, the award went to Opes Solutions for its Solflex photovoltaic surface that has also been designed for use in trucks and buses. The winner in the Circular Economy field was Encory, which has developed a comprehensive remanufacturing method for vehicle components and equipment.

The Start-ups category was won by Accure Battery Intelligence for its solution to improve the analysis of traction batteries in electric vehicles.