Development of a resource-efficient electrical drive system for the automotive industry – The innovative technology-oriented collaboration project FEREMA

Development of a resource-efficient electrical drive system for the automotive industry – The innovative technology-oriented collaboration project FEREMA

November 15, 2012 - Tessenderlo, Belgium – Melexis: Electrical drives are one of the main topics of the future automotive industry. On the one hand they are driven by latest developments in the electric mobility area and on the other hand – not always obviously – in today’s vehicles there is a need to further develop a number of electric auxiliary units, such as fans, pumps and mechanical adjusters.

The aim of the joint project FEREMA is to develop a resource and cost efficient, inexpensive brushless electrical drive for auxiliary units in cars. This drive has to robust enough to fulfil the high standards of the automotive industry, i.e. noise, environmental influences, and high ambient temperatures.

The project name FEREMA stands for 'Fewer Rare-Earth Magnets'. Rare-earth magnets are necessary for producing a variety of electric motor types.

For the development of a drive which contains no rare-earth magnets, advanced electric motor technology will be combined with today’s integrate, highly complex micro-electric drives. From a commercial perspective this offers important advantages.

The project consortium comprises the companies MAHLE Filtersysteme GmbH, Melexis GmbH, MAGNETWORLD AG, driveXpert GmbH and the Technical University Ilmenau. The consortium will receive funds from the Thüringer Aufbaubank.

The joint project has been initiated by CMP Financial Engineers GmbH & Co. KG in February 2012 and enables the project partners – during the two-year period of the project – to have ideal conditions for a cooperation beyond the applications and disciplines of the R&D areas mechatronic, mechanical engineering, materials engineering, electrical engineering and microelectronics.