Mexican Media Brands
GKN Touts 2-Speed Axle for Electrified Powertrains
GKN plc says its two-speed eAxle for electric powertrains cuts system weight, improve acceleration and enables a more efficient parallel hybrid architecture.
#hybrid
Share
GKN plc says its two-speed eAxle for electric powertrains cuts system weight, improve acceleration and enables a more efficient parallel hybrid architecture.
The GKN axle debuted on BMW AG's i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. The compact 60-lb unit measures 12.8 x 22 x 12.3 inches and sits on the transmission's input shaft.
The software-controlled eAxle shifts gears at input shaft speeds as high as 11,400 rpm. GKN says the system is 97% efficient, generates low gear noise and delivers smooth shifts undetectable by the driver. Providing a second gear at the axle permits designers to downsize the vehicle's electric propulsion motor by more closely matching gear ratios to motor torque characteristics.
In a typical layout, the vehicle's primary piston engine powers the front or rear axle, and the eAxle and electric motor drive the other two wheels. GKN developed the axle in only 24 months.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Electric Trucks Emerging
Rudolph Diesel—who, incidentally, died mysteriously while traveling by a post office steamer on the English Channel in 1913—must be rolling in his grave.
-
Frito-Lay, Transportation and the Environment
Addressing greenhouse gas reduction in the snack food supply chain
-
Hyundai Shops for a Partner to Make Electric Scooters
Hyundai Motor Co. is looking for a domestic partner to mass-produce the fold-up Ioniq electric scooter it unveiled at last year’s CES show in Las Vegas, a source tells The Korea Herald.