Equipmake has launched a high torque electric motor designed specifically for use in heavy duty commercial vehicles.
The HTM 3500, a new motor that combines high torque with low motor speeds, can be fitted directly onto the prop shaft of a large electric vehicle, negating the need for a separate gearbox. It will be capable of producing a maximum torque of 3,500Nm at just 1,000rpm. It has been designed for multiple heavy-duty vehicle applications, from electric buses to HGVs and mining trucks.
The engine’s peak torque of 3,500Nm is accompanied by a peak power of 400kW with a maximum motor speed of 3,500rpm. The engine is engineered and manufactured in the UK as Equipmake is based in Norfolk.
The company provides EV technology to automotive OEMs and specialist supercar makers, producing everything from industry-leading high-performance electric motors to power electronic systems, all the way up to complete EV drivetrains.
In fact, the company has developed its own retrofit electric bus chassis, known as EBus, which allows any bus coachbuilder to become a full electric bus manufacturer almost overnight.
Equipmake’s new HTM 3500 motor is an integral part of the very latest iteration of the state-of-the-art EBus platform, with in-service trials of this technology beginning next Spring by Brazilian commercial vehicle manufacturer, Agrale, which will launch an electric bus first in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2021.
This highly advanced motor is considered a game changer in the heavy-duty vehicle market, according to Ian Foley, Managing Director, Equipmake.
“The HTM 3500 is the perfect motor for heavy duty electric commercial vehicles such as buses, mining trucks and HGVs offering enormous amounts of torque from extremely low motor speeds,” he said. “While it pushes the boundaries of conventional interior permanent magnet motor design, it does so reliably and cost-effectively and, by being direct drive, negates the need for a gearbox allowing more efficient packaging of an electric drivetrain.”
According to the company, the HTM 3500 electric motor is available now, included within the EBus platform. It can also be ordered in production runs of tens of units, right up to thousands.