ELITS - Efficient Lightweight Integrated Traction Solution

Diesel-fuelled medium-duty trucks used for regional/urban logistics cause 45% of air-pollution in and around built-up areas, with devastating social, environmental and corresponding economic impacts. The UK targets a zero-emission vehicle fleet by 2050, but many cities target blanket diesel-bans far sooner via zero/low emission zones, fundamentally risking the capacity, reliability and cost of regional/urban logistics. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) remain the most credible approach, and whilst the broader evolution will occur incrementally alongside technology-driven/organic cost reductions, the immediate need for a cost-effective medium-duty BEV powertrain for commoditised mass-production remains unmet.

The representative drive-cycle, as well as the range of road and payload conditions faced by these vehicles places extreme demands on startability (peak torque), gradeability (continuous torque), speed and corresponding power (greater than 200kW). High average powertrain efficiency over the whole drive cycle is also vital.

Whilst only partially meeting these torque/speed requirements, existing BEV powertrain architectures rely on synchronous-motors containing as much as 100kg of very high-field rare-earth permanent magnets as the primary excitation medium.

**Innovative solution.**

In response, Cummins Limited (Research and Technology) with University of Nottingham's Power Electronics, Machines and Control Group are developing a highly-integrated high-power BEV powertrain for medium-duty vehicles, which doesn't use rare-earth permanent magnets. By realising a disruptive electric machine and transmission topology, Cummins aim to deliver a step change in the power density by targeting a high-speed solution, developed alongside integrated power electronics for intelligent control."