E-motor for commercial use coming from Bosch

German supplier Bosch has developed a compact 800- volt electric motor designed to be installed in rigid axles of commercial vehicles, such as large delivery vans and trucks.

The motor sits where the differential is usually placed and turns both axle shafts. Bosch plans to debut the motor at this week's Motor Bella event in Pontiac, Mich.

Because commercial vehicles haul heavy payloads, Bosch engineers developed a twin-circuit cooling system. The rotor and stator are cooled internally by oil, while the motor's active parts are housed in a water-cooling jacket.

The supplier plans to produce versions of the motor rated at between 201 hp and 308 hp.

The motor, which Bosch refers to as the 230, is designed to be paired with a company-designed inverter that uses silicon carbide technology to reduce heat loss, increase switching frequencies and improve power density.

"When combined, the inverter and electric motor are fined-tuned to each other so they can be used in one system. This results in a system efficiency of 97 percent," Bosch said in a statement. The increased efficiency translates to longer driving between charges or the use of less of the battery's capacity.

The race to electrify commercial vehicles is a hot one, with Toyota, Hyundai and a few startups working on hydrogen fuel cell delivery trucks. In those trucks the cells, instead of batteries, will create the electricity for the electric motors.

Bosch will also display its fuel cell stack at Motor Bella.

Bosch is just one of the suppliers working to electrify commercial vehicle drivetrains. Dana, American Axle and Magna also have recently introduced electric axles for commercial trucks.