News release: New 12V electric supercharger makes eBoosting more cost-effective
New eCharger system will help vehicle manufacturers meet strict emissions targets using existing driveline technologies
Kenilworth, UK, 13th October 2016 – Electric forced induction specialist, Aeristech, has announced the development of an advanced 12V electric supercharger system, eCharger. The new system makes use of Aeristech’s leading motor control technology to derive maximum pressure charging utility from the power available in conventional 12V vehicle architectures.
Designed to provide transient boost to support traditional mechanical forced induction systems, the 12V architecture enables the system to be integrated into existing driveline technologies. The product is currently in development, with validation testing set to begin in November 2016 and prototypes available for customer trials from January 2017.
The eCharger can spin at speeds of up to 80,000rpm and uses Aeristech’s patented switching technology to reduce the frequency of internal switching events by 60% compared to conventional motors, meaning a significant reduction in heat and improved efficiency on the basis of like-for-like electrical switchgear cost. More importantly, Aeristech is free to optimise the layout of motor magnets and windings without fear of overloading the controller with excessively high frequency requirements, leading to significant savings in material mass and cost.
“Since launching the 48V eSupercharger in 2015, we have received significant interest from Tier 1s and vehicle manufacturers and been able to continually develop the technology,” said Richard Wall, Aeristech CEO. “We have considerably improved cost, reduced weight and more than halved the package volume of the product. Now the core technology is fully established we are diversifying the product range to include a 12V offering, also capable of steady state operation, to meet additional market needs.”
Aeristech’s continuously-rated 48V eSupercharger is a cost-effective proposition, having production costs in-line with conventional transient-only ‘boosters’. It also has the additional benefit of offsetting the need for one stage of mechanical forced induction while simultaneously improving transient response, compared to conventional turbochargers.
The 48V eSupercharger has completed more than 1600 hours of back-to-back testing at Aeristech’s in-house facility, undergoing more than 500,000 boost events during 28,000 test cycles of a wide selection of operating modes. These ranged from short-bursts of high-power and maximum speed to continuous power outputs for extended periods, all l of which were endured by the eSupercharger without a single fault.
“Aeristech’s eSupercharger technology has been publicly validated and exhibited in a prototype vehicle by MAHLE Powertrain UK,” commented Aeristech C.T.O. Bryn Richards. “This vehicle showed the benefits of a powerful, continuously-rated electric supercharger to simplify the exhaust system and enable practical engine downsizing beyond the levels currently seen on the market.”
Introducing the new 12V device, Richards said: “The new eCharger satisfies a more well-known and immediate need for improved boost system response and refinement within the confines of a 12V architecture; it brings new and exciting attributes to the market, including low noise and low heat rejection, made possible by the very efficient motor control technology that Aeristech developed originally for its higher-power devices.”
The eSupercharger is currently being showcased in a C-segment appraisal vehicle developed by MAHLE Powertrain UK Ltd. “The low-speed torque generated by the almost lag-free Aeristech eSupercharger enables a 0-100 km/h time of 6.4 seconds,” said Dr Mike Bassett, Chief Engineer – Research, at MAHLE Powertrain UK Ltd. “While some figures are yet to be fully verified and tested, this eSupercharged engine has already shown significant potential as an attractive solution for mild hybridisation.”
The car’s downsized 1.2 litre, 3-cylinder gasoline engine achieves 33 Bar BMEP at 1800rpm – an astonishing 313Nm from an engine of this capacity - and a maximum power output of 193kW. In addition, it is estimated that Aeristech’s technology will reduce the vehicle’s CO2emissions by more than 25%.
“Widespread 48V infrastructure is imminent and the eSupercharger can provide a step-change solution for enhanced performance, driveability and emissions,” concludes Aeristech CEO, Wall. “The eCharger has the potential to bridge a technology gap and provide a relevant 12V solution today.”
About Aeristech
Aeristech is a British clean technology innovation business that is developing a range of electrically driven pressure charging technologies that will help to solve the driveability, emissions, integration and cost challenges facing the next generation of high efficiency petrol and diesel engines. Aeristech’s patented technologies provide both transient and continuous levels of boost, which is unlike any other product currently on the market.
The company was founded around an innovative permanent magnet motor switching architecture that has enabled Aeristech to produce the most power dense electric motor of its type currently available. This core technology forms the basis of the company’s range of products, which include an electric supercharger, full electric turbocharger, fuel cell air compressor and turbine generator.
The drive to reduce emissions ahead of the EU 95g/km 2020 legislation is leading to a growth in hybridised vehicles and as a result, a rise of 48V electrical systems in vehicles. Aeristech’s proven technologies take advantage of this trend and are helping vehicle manufacturers make step-change efficiency improvements to their existing powertrains.
As a one-stop-shop for electrically driven pressure charging solutions, Aeristech designs the entirety of the motor and control system and is capable of testing every aspect of the final product, including endurance bench tests and system efficiency mapping, to suit the customers’ individual application. The company is working with vehicle manufacturers and suppliers to licence innovative proprietary technologies that reduce tailpipe emissions, increase fuel efficiency and heighten driving characteristics of the next generation of ‘right-sized’ diesel and gasoline engines.
Press contact:
Richard Doherty at Market Engineering
+44 (0)1295 277 050
richard.doherty@m-eng.com
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