As early as mid-2023, Nidec and Renesas announced plans to develop an “X-in-1” system combining the electric motor and power electronics and offering relatively high performance and efficiency, while being small, lightweight and inexpensive. They are now presenting their solution in a live demonstration at electronica 2024 in Munich. This is a proof of concept and not yet a production-ready device.

Along with the motor and gearbox, the unit houses an inverter with an output power of 70 to 100 kW and a maximum efficiency of 99 percent, a DC/DC converter with an output of 1.5 kW, a 6.6 kW on-board charger, a distribution unit, a battery management system and a PTC heating control system. The particularity: The study controls the eight functions with a single microcontroller. “By systematically integrating these functions with a single MCU, PoC has significantly reduced component count, cost and size,” notes Renesas.

“We are excited to deliver the world-class E-Axle 8-in-1 solution and have successfully verified its operational performance in collaboration with Nidec,” said Chris Allexandre, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Power at Renesas. “We are committed to offering a broad range of energy management products that work with our digital products to provide complete, plug-and-play system-level solutions. This approach allows Renesas to help its customers accelerate their development and time to market.

Based on the proof of concept, Nidec plans to quickly bring this new generation of E-Axle systems to market. Renesas aims to “provide turnkey semiconductor solutions for various X-in-1 systems based on the reference design verified through this PoC.” With these solutions, developers can “immediately implement and evaluate their X-in-1 systems, thereby accelerating the development of electric vehicles.” Renesas emphasizes that it will be able to offer its customers comprehensive system support and software as well as key building blocks for their X-in-1 solutions in the future.

Nidec initially began mass production of its second generation electric axle system in October 2022. The drive solution called Gen.2 has since been produced in Guangzhou, China. The most important features of this 100 kW electric axle (compared to its 100 kW predecessor) are 19% lower weight and 20% higher torque and power density, according to Nidec.

The base model of Nidec’s modular e-drive system, the 150 kW Ni150Ex, was introduced in 2018 – with Chinese manufacturer GAC as its first customer. In spring 2019, the Japanese company announced variants with an output of 100 and 70 kW, before the power levels of 50 and 200 kW were presented in February 2020. With the engine power range from 50 to 200 kW (or more with two engines in the vehicle), Nidec can cover vehicle segments A to E, ranging from small cars to luxury class.

renesas.com