Canadian manufacturer Linamar Corporation is one step closer to completing its much-publicized e-axle development project.
Project partner Exro Technologies, a Calgary company developing new generation power electronics, reports it has completed phase one of the e-axle development project and the project can now transition to the second and final phase, which includes electric axle (“e-axle”) integration, testing, and validation by Linamar.
“Phase one completion of our project with Linamar marks a major milestone for the project, and a significant corporate milestone for Exro”, said Exro CEO, Sue Ozdemir. “Our employees have demonstrated the ability to deliver leading edge technology to a major tier-1 automotive OEM supplier. We look forward to the next phase of the project and to an exciting future with a great partner.”
Approximately 22 months ago, a goal was established with Linamar to co-develop a next-generation e-Axle utilizing Coil Driver technology. An e-axle combines an electric vehicle’s motor, gears, and inverter into the drive axle of the vehicle. In a traditional powertrain set up, the motor and inverter are in separate housings on the vehicle chassis. E-axles are emerging as the future of medium and heavy-duty vehicles, giving fleets an opportunity to reduce maintenance requirements, and energy consumption, while also reducing costs and complexity. By combining Exro’s new generation technology with Linamar’s expertise, the partners aim to offer a cost-effective product with superior performance to the medium duty truck segment.
In the initial phase of development, Exro was to supply 800V Coil Driver inverter samples designed for integration into an e-Axle program. Moving now to phase two of the project, Linamar will supply and integrate the remaining critical elements of the system, including the gearbox assembly, for testing and on-road validation. Following the successful testing period, expected into Q2 2023, Exro and Linamar intend to jointly promote the technology to the market with the intention of commercializing the Coil Driver e-Axle into series production.
