- European Automotive Suppliers Association honors the technology group’s magnet-free electric motor in the “Green” category
- Innovative electric motor dispenses with magnets, leading to increased resilience in the supply chain and improved sustainability and efficiency
- CLEPA Innovation Award is significant recognition for the most innovative and sustainable technologies
Friedrichshafen/Brussels. The automotive supplier association CLEPA honors ZF as a top innovator in the “Green” category. The award-winning technology, an electric motor without rare earths, sets new standards in electromobility by dispensing with magnets and improving sustainability with the same performance.
At the award ceremony in Brussels, Dr. Otmar Scharrer, Head of Engineering Electrified Powertrain Technology at ZF, emphasizes the importance of the joint efforts of the development team for this success.
“This award is a recognition of our continuous efforts to develop innovative and environmentally friendly solutions for electromobility,” says Dr. Otmar Scharrer, Head of Engineering Electrified Powertrain Technology at ZF. “With our electric motor, we are demonstrating a more sustainable alternative to conventional solutions that does not require the use of rare earths and at the same time offers maximum performance.”
Rare earth metals are often difficult to extract and their mining has a significant environmental impact. Nevertheless, they are still a necessary component of electromobility, as they are used in batteries and magnets. The I²SM (In-Rotor Inductive-Excited Synchronous Machine) from ZF completely dispenses with these metals by using an inductively excited, magnet-free system in the rotor. This reduces dependence on critical raw materials and significantly improves sustainability and efficiency. Dispensing with rare earths saves valuable resources in production and reduces dependencies in the supply chains. In addition, compared to the permanent magnet synchronous machines (PSM) currently used, there are no drag losses due to permanent magnets, which leads to better efficiency during long highway journeys at high speeds.
ZF previously received the CLEPA Innovation Award in 2022 for its autonomous shuttle and in 2020 for an environmentally friendly eTrailer, a prototype truck trailer with an integrated electric drive. In 2017, WABCO and ZF won the innovation award for their jointly developed Evasive Maneuver Assist system for commercial vehicles.
Every year, the European association CLEPA recognizes outstanding innovative achievements in the supplier industry. In the Digital and Green categories, an international jury of experts awards prizes to particularly progressive, sustainable and digital projects.
The “Top Innovator” title is selected by a jury of experts from around 80 applications and recognizes ground-breaking innovations in the industry. The award was presented Dec. 4 on CLEPA’s 65th anniversary during a festive ceremony at Autoworld in Brussels. The “Green” category recognizes innovations for more sustainable and climate-neutral mobility.
For further information on the I²SM product, please see the following links:
I²SM product images:
https://press.zf.com/press/en/media/media_64002.html
I²SM product video:
https://press.zf.com/press/en/media/media_60352.html
Further technical information can be found in the product press release: https://press.zf.com/press/en/releases/release_60480.html
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About ZF
ZF is a global technology company supplying advanced mobility products and systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. Its comprehensive product range is primarily aimed at vehicle manufacturers, mobility providers and start-up companies in the fields of transportation and mobility. ZF electrifies a wide range of vehicle types. With its products, the company contributes to reducing emissions, protecting the climate as well as enhancing safe mobility. Alongside the automotive sector – passenger cars and commercial vehicles – ZF also serves market segments such as construction and agricultural machinery, wind power, marine propulsion, rail drives and test systems.
With some 168,700 employees worldwide, ZF reported sales of €46.6 billion in fiscal 2023. The company operates 162 production locations in 31 countries.
For further press information and photos, please visit: www.zf.com