Reduced drag means more battery life!
The adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) is widespread, politically incentivized, and touching just about every industry worldwide. Particularly in light-duty trucks and autonomous movers.
These industries are growing faster than ever with the advancements in vehicle/drivetrain efficiencies, growth in ‘last mile’ demand, and environmental awareness.
Benefits of Sprag Clutches for Electric Vehicles
There are many advantages to EVs & Hybrid EVs (HEVs) when compared with gas-powered engine vehicles, including lower operating costs, reduced emissions, and smoother, quieter operation.
Even with material and other efficiency gains, the pesky battery life challenge persists. EV manufacturers are challenged to design vehicles that not only conserve as much energy as possible but also regenerate energy whenever imaginable.
‘Hello’ GMN clutches—a high precision, mechanical solution that reduces electrical waste in the form of motor drag during deceleration.
Made in Germany, GMN brand freewheel clutches (a.k.a “sprag clutches”), offer a versatile solution to EVs battery life quandary.
Utilizing a GMN Sprag clutch can extend battery life up to ~10% when properly integrated into a vehicle design. This is ensuring little to no electrical drag, pulling precious battery juice during deceleration cycles.
For more information on the benefits of electric vehicles, give our engineers a call!
How GMN Freewheel Clutches Work for EVs Motors
On an EV, the battery powers the motor(s) and all electronics on board. This is the reason battery technology (range) is talked about the most compared to any other groundbreaking tech inside EVs – airless tire, lidar/radar/cameras, 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds, etc.
Within an EV, a GMN sprag clutch can be used near the motor or within the drivetrain to reduce the electrical drag and increase battery life. This can be within/near a motor in the wheel(s), motors that drive multiple wheels, or combinations thereof in gearing systems.
The GMN Insert Element Clutch, which happens to be the highest torque to envelope in the industry, can also be utilized more traditionally within the gear box/transmission.
Currently, traditional ICE car transmissions employ Sprag Insert Elements to drive the correct gearing and overall speed of the vehicle. Many current ICE vehicle transmissions include multiple Sprag Insert Elements for different gears/ratios.
In an EV with a multi-speed transmission, an Insert Element Clutch is used similarly to current ICE vehicle technology, to engage & disengage the different gears.
As can be seen, a GMN Sprag Insert Element can be optimized in many locations of light-duty trucks and autonomous movers.
Contact GMN Bearing USA to Improve Your EV Design
If we’ve sparked your imagination, let’s talk! Our geeky GMN Bearing USA engineers are ready to support your EV efforts. Contact us today!