ECO-SUSTAINABLE APPROACH IN THE DESIGN OF AN END-OF-LINE BENCH FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE MOTOR PRODUCTION

Electric vehicles are strongly supported by most countries for their low noise, zero emissions, strong power, and no fuel consumption. The transition to electric in the automotive sector has brought significant changes also in manufacturing plants’ architectures. Specifically, optimizing the design of the electric motors (EMs) has proven to be a challenge due to the high number of design variables and the multidisciplinary character of the topic. To ensure that parts are built to the appropriate specifications, end-of-line (EOL) testing is considered one of the most crucial steps in automotive quality testing to date taking into account that the improper sizing of EMs may lead to very relevant energy impacts. In the first part of the paper, a quick overview about of the various hybrid/electric vehicle configurations and their different missions is firstly provided. Then, the new vehicle emission legislations and their technological implications are briefly introduced, along with the new homologation cycles and the reasons why the internal combustion engines are not sufficient to meet the new targets are also indicated. A short description of electric vehicle motors is given by detailing their main components and types in terms of advantages and drawbacks. In the second part of the paper, a fully explanation about the C/1000 guarantees and the importance of EOL testing on manufactured components is provided, together with the reasons why original equipment manufacturers invest so much in quality control. Then, the main features of the EOL test stands, the types of checks on the manufactured components, as well as the methodology behind component evaluation are discussed. Finally, the main components and functions of the innovative EOL testbed developed by the Italian company Assing S.p.A. for sizing EMs with an environmentally sustainable and power-conscious approach are also described. The main physical laws and parameters governing the operation of the bench as well as its potentialities in terms of energy saving, cost reduction and performance optimization are specified.