Bosch Launches a More Efficient Electric Drive for Light Commercial EVs

Bosch is introducing a brand-new electric drive for vans and small and medium-sized trucks into series production.

Companies are trying to develop and design more sustainable and environmentally sustainable electric motors. Bosch is one such example; the company has begun volume manufacturing of a new drive unit meant for light commercial vehicles.

Bosch is introducing a brand-new electric drive for vans and small and medium-sized trucks into series production. The new drive unit is made up of an electric motor and an inverter. Daimler Truck is already a customer of the German automotive supplier.

The EV sector is now creating a name for itself in the consumer market, but it may have even more opportunities in the commercial transportation industry. The majority of commercial urban traffic is carried out by vans and medium-sized trucks, which are continually on the move to deliver various items. This is where vehicle electrification might have a significant impact, as it improves air quality, decreases noise pollution, and is locally emission-free.

According to Bosch, the full drive unit, which weighs roughly 80 kg, might potentially be called a 2in1 drive. Efficiency is highlighted as a distinctive feature: with new power semiconductors, Bosch has decreased electrical losses by more than 20%, enabling 97 per cent inverter efficiency.

Engineers derived the inverter from passenger car components during the design phase. According to the corporation, this has considerably accelerated development and saved costs. The drive and the batteries share a similar water-cooling circuit, avoiding the need for a separate oil-based cooling circuit. Because the speeds are higher in comparison to the preceding engine, a single-speed gearbox should sufficient. Because the new microcontrollers have more computing power, they can process the "complicated control algorithms of the electric drive in milliseconds." Simultaneously, the software for the actuator's behaviour can be customized.

"Compared to its predecessors, the new unit has even better power and torque density, as well as being lighter and more compact," says Markus Heyn, a member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions division. According to the firm, the drive module should be significantly easier to incorporate into existing and new vehicle models due to its modular architecture.

The electric drive will make its debut at the client Daimler Truck, where it will be employed for the first time with the assistance of a DC/DC converter and the Bosch powertrain central control unit. The highest power output is 129 kilowatts, with a continuous power output of 100 kilowatts. The permanently excited synchronous machine can create 430 Newton metres of torque over brief periods of time. The maximum vehicle weight specified by the provider is 8.5 tonnes.

While Bosch has not disclosed which models will employ the new drive system, the company defines it as a "new e-drive for small vehicles." At Daimler Truck, a similar model is the Fuso eCanter, the second generation of which will also be on display at the IAA event in Germany.

The manufacturer will manufacture the drive unit at its plant in Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany, which also houses the Bosch headquarters for electric drives. Bosch has also equipped two van types with fuel cell technology, the VW e-Crafter and the MAN eTGE, which are already being tested on the road.