The technology group Rheinmetall is expanding its e-mobility business to include additional areas of application as planned through two independent new orders for the innovative plug and play heat pump solution. The first new order is a large order worth a high single-digit million euro amount from a foreign expert in e-bus conversions, while the second order relates to a German expert in e-off-road vehicles and is in the single-digit million euro range.
With these two new orders, the group has achieved the next milestone in marketing and establishment following the market launch of the heat pump module, which was designed in particular for the electrification of drives in commercial vehicles, construction machinery and boats. The heat pump pre-filled with R1234yf can not only increase the range of the vehicles and the lifespan of the battery through its intelligent cold and heat management, but also improve the comfort of the driver. Delivery of the heat pumps to customers has already begun and still has a term of five years for the first order and seven years for the second order.
When converting conventional buses to a modern electric drive, the first customer starts with a comprehensive evaluation of the base vehicle and an analysis of the operator’s operating cycles in order to model a conceptual drive train and validate it through simulation. After removing the diesel engine and all associated systems, the existing drive compartment is completely CAD scanned and digitized in order to be able to develop an electric drive platform tailored to the engine compartment.
The second new customer has designed an independent electric off-road vehicle and is now starting series production. Coming from off-road motorsport, including as a participant in the Dakar Rally, the developers have designed a robust vehicle for mining that, thanks to its modular design, can be used for a wide range of applications worldwide, e.g. B. is also suitable in developing countries. The customer’s basic concept for the vehicle takes into account sustainable production and a circular life cycle with a clear focus on the recyclability and degradability of the materials used. The heat pump ensures optimized temperature control of a 72.5 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery in the vehicle. The system voltage is designed for up to 450 V (HV2) and can be expanded to 850 V (HV3) depending on further customer requirements. The maximum cooling capacity used is designed for 8 kW.
Due to the ever-increasing demands placed on the complex thermal management of modern electric vehicles, regardless of the respective application, the number of individual components and connections for the coolant and refrigerant circuit is increasing sharply. Here, the new Rheinmetall system for energy recovery helps save important installation space thanks to its compact design as a complete system. The system solution is designed for 400 and 800 volt applications and delivers up to 8 kW nominal cooling and up to 11 kW heating output.
As an active element in thermal management, the innovative compact heat pump also ensures the precise conditioning of the battery and electric motor and also takes care of the air conditioning of the interior. Cooling or heating takes place via a connected coolant circuit. The optimized thermal management system from Rheinmetall makes an important contribution to economical, efficient and at the same time comfortable e-mobility, particularly through precise and intelligent heat regulation based on water glycol. The service life of the components and the range of the vehicles can also be significantly increased.
With these new orders, Rheinmetall is achieving further success in the future electromobility market with high growth potential. As these orders demonstrate, the complete system can be integrated into both new and existing vehicle platforms and is also suitable for customer-specific individual applications.
SOURCE: Rheinmetall
