Vitesco Technologies reveals 48-volt drive for two-wheelers

Vitesco Technologies is revealing its electric drive for smaller two-wheelers in Milan. The company will present a fully functional demo vehicle with a 48-volt system for light motorcycles and scooters with 3 to 7 kW of power at the international two-wheeler trade fair EICMA 2023. In the off-road segment, the German engineering company is revealing the M-Two electric SSV (side-by-side vehicle) by German manufacturer Mandrill for the electric off-road market.

Compared to the demo scooter presented in Milan in 2022, the new 48-volt drive for two-wheelers from Vitesco now utilises further developed components with a near-series design. The first market launch of the drive system is planned in India, where series production is set to start at the Vitesco site in Pune at the beginning of 2025.

According to the German supplier based in Regensburg, the complete drive system comprises a control unit (“Electric Drive Control Unit, eDCU”) and a permanent magnet e-motor with a special inductive rotor position sensor (“Inductive Rotor Position Sensor, iRPS”). The eDCU has been specially developed for two-wheelers and is also suitable, for example, for vehicles with swappable batteries. Vitesco describes the drive unit as a compact, powerful machine. The sensor gives the brushless electric motor the extremely high control quality required for a fully electric drive.

Swappable batteries are proving advantageous for the two-wheeler segment, for the reuse and recycling of batteries, and for instant powering of light electric vehicles. Vitesco joined the Swappable Batteries Motorcycle Consortium in August 2022. Taiwan-based two-wheeler and battery-swapping systems specialist Gogoro, for example, has extensive plans for swappable battery systems in India, China and Southeast Asia.

Off-road side-by-side vehicles with Mandrill

Vitesco is also bringing its EMR3 electric axle drive to the off-road segment. At EICMA 2023, the electric SSV (side-by-side vehicle) M-Two from German manufacturer Mandrill will be presented as a demo vehicle powered by the EMR3. A side-by-side vehicle is a four-wheel off-road vehicle with at least two seats positioned side by side and enclosed within a roll cage structure. These vehicles find applications in utility task vehicles, utility terrain vehicles, recreational off-highway vehicles or multi-purpose off-highway utility vehicles.

Vitesco Technologies says it has already put the 3rd generation of the Electronics Motor Reducer into series production in over 20 vehicles from European and Asian manufacturers since 2019.

The EMR3 is not the latest electric drive from Vitesco; the supplier already presented the EMR4 in 2021, which covers the power range from 80 to 230 kW. Depending on customer requirements, the EMR4 is available as a permanently excited or separately excited synchronous motor – with permanent magnets containing rare earths or without.

The EMR3, on the other hand, is always a PSM with a permanent magnet. This generation is only available in two power levels with 100 or 150 kW. The 100 kW model is primarily used in numerous PSA electric vehicles, but Honda and Hyundai also rely on the EMR3 from Vitesco.

vitesco-technologies.com (two-wheelers), vitesco-technologies.com (off-road)