Suppliers are helping the move to lighter EVs

As the industry's shift to electric vehicles gains momentum, automakers are racing to address the critical challenge of enhancing vehicle efficiency and extending battery range. Suppliers are offering diverse solutions.

One avenue being explored by Tier 1 suppliers such as Schaeffler, Yasa Motors, Continental and others is the integration of lightweight components, which holds considerable promise for the rapidly evolving EV sector.

U.S. sales of EVs rose 83 percent to 521,443 vehicles in the first nine months of this year, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center. The rise in Europe has taken that EV market higher, increasing 53 percent through August to 1.29 million, according to market researcher Dataforce.

Electric cars are about 20 percent heavier than their gasoline-powered counterparts, according to the Center for Automotive Research. On average, an electric vehicle weighs 3,576 pounds, which is about 626 pounds heavier than a gasoline-powered vehicle.

By incorporating lightweight solutions, automakers can significantly reduce an EV's overall weight, contributing to improved energy efficiency and extended driving range.

Lighter components offer a dual advantage by enhancing vehicle performance while simultaneously reducing carbon footprint, aligning with the broader industry goals of sustainability.

"The need for weight reduction in components and overall is obvious because today's batteries are too heavy," Gartner analyst Pedro Pacheco said.

He said the process of weight reduction requires automakers and suppliers to "shave off every gram and every kilo they can."

Matthias Zink, CEO of Schaeffler's auto business, agreed that every gram counts. He acknowledged that batteries are adding considerably to vehicles' overall weight, which means lighter components must be considered everywhere else.

"We have worked on this with our TriFinity three-row bearing for e-mobility, which enables downsizing solutions, and thus wheel bearing units smaller in diameter," he said. "This leads to optimized bearing weight.

"Having this three-row design, you can reduce the weight of the bearing by about 30 percent."

Another example of weight reduction innovation is the company's 4-in-1 electric axle, which aims to boost efficiency through the interaction of the electric motor, transmission, power electronics and thermal management in one system.

"Then we have our lightweight differential systems, where we have sheet metal while others use iron casting," Zink said. "All these innovations are encouraged by the aim to improve sustainability. The less material I need, the better. That leads to less weight."

Another way to slash weight is to make the EV's electric motor lighter, but without sacrificing power density, Pacheco said. That is something that startup Yasa did, yielding a technology that Mercedes-Benz acquired.

Yasa Chief Technology Officer Tim Woolmer said the company's axial flux electric motors and controllers offer improved efficiencies thanks to their smaller size and weight — 50 percent lighter and 20 percent of the depth of a typical radial machine.

Yasa's e-motors also feature a proprietary "yokeless and segmented armature" that reduces the stator's iron mass by up to 80 percent.

"There is a very interesting inflection point when the powertrain can become small enough and light enough to be repackaged, which starts to free up new opportunities, better aerodynamics and weight reduction," said Woolmer, who was named an Automotive News Europe Rising Star in 2023.

He added that reduced vehicle mass means automakers can use smaller, lighter brakes, which increases range.

"All these changes require reduced associated systems, resulting in further efficiency improvements," Woolmer said.

"When you can hit an inflection point on torque density, that starts to impact the whole vehicle, not just taking 10 or 20 kilograms out, but many hundreds of kilograms potentially.

"That is where the benefits of efficiency improvements and weight reduction start to get really interesting," he said.

Continental has been exploring weight-saving measures across tires, audio systems and interior paneling, including its Conti GreenConcept tire, which weighs 16.5 pounds, making it up to 40 percent lighter than today's standard tire.

Continental and Sennheiser also developed a speakerless audio system for vehicle interiors that uses specially developed actuators to make certain surfaces inside the vehicle vibrate. Continental says the system is up to 75 percent lighter than similar conventional systems.

Substantial weight savings also can be achieved with modern vehicle interior materials, including the supplier's thermoformable DecoJect thin foils and flooring films that weigh less than half of traditional components.

Continental's Acella Light, used for headrests, seat coverings, side trims and center consoles, and ultralightweight Yorn Light decorative material used in seat backs and instrument panels also offer substantial weight savings.

Yasa's Woolmer said there is going to be a big push over the next 10 years to make electric cars lighter as battery packs get smaller and more efficient as charging infrastructure improves.

"We are sort of at peak battery pack size and we are going to see a decline in battery pack sizes," he said. "Cars will become more efficient and lighter. You will get better infrastructure, and then the cost comes down as well, so they become more affordable.

"We want to do our bit to make the cars light, efficient and ultimately low cost," he said, "so they can be accessible to as many people as possible."