The old-school players are accelerating their transition to electrification

Leading companies like Mahle are typical examples of this. On August 31, Mahle held an online press conference to report its performance in the first half of the year and showcase its electrification products to be exhibited at the IAA Mobility in Germany: the fast-charging system chargeBIG, immersion-cooled battery system, and a new type of magnet-free electric motor.

In terms of performance, in the first half of 2021, Mahle Group realized a significant increase in sales and revenue. From January to June 2021, sales increased by 32%, with a real growth rate of 36% after exchange rate adjustment, reaching approximately 5.7 billion Euros. Mahle’s growth rate exceeded the global automotive market growth rate, with the automotive electronics and mechatronics business area growing fastest.

Apart from electric vehicles, Mahle also positions itself as an expert in hydrogen applications. Mahle has established a new hydrogen application testing center and invested 2 million Euros in it, mainly to test components for fuel cells and emission-free engines for reliable and economical system solutions for the automotive industry.

These investments demonstrate Mahle’s determination to develop in the field of electrification.

The chargeBIG project has passed its initial stage

At the press conference, Martin Berger, VP of Research and Early Engineering at Mahle Group, said that in addition to conducting related technical research and development for electric vehicles, they also support the development of electric vehicle infrastructure.

“chargeBIG” is Mahle’s intelligent central control charging technology, dedicated to providing intelligent charging infrastructure. Currently, the project has passed its initial stage.

This “chargeBIG POWER” fast charging system has a rated power of up to 750kW, with individual charging station output power ranging from 2.3-7.2kW, covering 18-100 AC charging points.

Regarding why the fast charging power is set to 750kW, Mahle explained that this is to prepare for future higher demand for fast charging, especially for commercial fleets with longer mileage and higher load.

This system is suitable for parking lots with a parking time of more than 4 hours, such as company, parking lot, airport parking lot, and underground parking lots in large residential complexes. The system’s advantages are reduced charging hardware, operation, and expansion costs of the grid.

Introducing immersion cooling system## Fast charging not only requires appropriate infrastructure but also advanced automotive technologies, especially batteries. During fast charging, the temperature inside the battery must be evenly distributed and not exceed a certain threshold.

According to Martin Berger, Mahle has made a breakthrough in this area by introducing a new solution – immersion cooling. They have successfully lowered the threshold for fast charging.

In this system, a non-conductive coolant circulates around the battery cells, cables, and all connectors, helping to reduce the maximum temperature of the battery and improve the heat distribution inside. The cooling system enables fast charging within minutes and extends battery life, making electric vehicles more suitable for long-distance travel. These improvements would boost consumer acceptance of EVs.

Mahle’s immersion cooling system is expected to be applied to electric vehicles starting from 2025.

Rare earth-free motor with efficiency up to 95%

Mahle’s innovative rare earth-free motor is a breakthrough in motor development. This electric motor does not require any rare earth elements, making production more environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

The main feature of this motor is contactless inductive power transmission. Therefore, the motor operates without wear and has high efficiency throughout a wide range of speeds. In the most commonly used drive system conditions, the efficiency can reach over 95%, which is currently only achieved in Formula E racing.

Mahle has combined various advantages of different motor designs into a single product. This new development is easily scalable and can be used for a variety of vehicles, from small cars to trucks.

It’s worth noting that the thermal management system, which addresses heating and cooling demands, remains the largest business segment of the Mahle Group. Mahle’s thermal management technology provides adequate protection for the power electronics, motor, and battery of electric vehicles while maintaining a comfortable interior temperature.

Nevertheless, Mahle is actively promoting the transition to electric mobility, and we can expect to see more of their electric products in the market soon.

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.