Accelerating the transition to E-Mobility
Driven by climate concerns and a worldwide legislative push, the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has been on the rise and is expected to continue to grow significantly in the next decades. Despite the compelling advantages of EVs, a successful mass-market adoption requires OEMs and battery manufacturers to address a range of end-consumer concerns such as cost, range anxiety, reliability and passenger safety. These concerns are part of an even wider and complex range of engineering and commercial challenges along the path towards zero-emission electric mobility.
The heart of any vehicle is its powertrain, and while internal combustion engines (ICEs) have decades of research and development behind them, electric powertrains are comparatively new. The architecture of an EV powertrain can be understood by distinguishing between three major systems: the Battery system, the Electric Drive system, and the Power Conversion system. Key engineering challenges across EV powertrain components include efficient thermal management, passenger safety, and reliable lifetime performance. From a commercial perspective, the key challenge is achieving price parity between EVs and conventional ICE vehicles.