E-Axle drive motor system (EV drive motor system)

Combining the technologies of the Japan Dec Group, we will commercialize the "heart of electric vehicles".

- Powerful leadership in the global automotive electrification process with its compact and lightweight products, integration of components, and rapid R&D speed

- Contribute to the improvement of vehicle design freedom, driving performance, dynamic performance, power consumption, quietness and other aspects of performance

With the spread of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid vehicles, the market demand for drive motors is increasing. The drive motor replaces the engine and becomes the "heart" of the car. As a result, the performance and quality requirements of drive motors are rapidly increasing due to their performance (e.g., torque characteristics that affect the driving performance of automobiles, efficiency to improve continuous driving distance, quietness, compactness and lightness, reliability, and ease of maintenance).

In addition to motors, inverters and reducers are also needed to drive the vehicle. Japan Denco developed the 3-in-1 EV drive motor system "E-Axle" and began mass production in April 2019.

E-Axle drive motor system (EV drive motor system)

Since the E-Axle is an integrated product of a motor, inverter, and reducer, the E-Axle can perform everything from the time it is mounted on the body and energized, from the time the drive shaft connected to the tires generates rotational torque and drives the car. The development of electric vehicles is in a very competitive environment, so speed of development is key. However, automakers have adopted our "E-Axle", so it is possible to develop electric vehicles in a very short time.

The unique oil cooling method has achieved a compact and lightweight ratio that has absolute advantages

With an output of 150 kW, a torque of 3,900 Nm, and a weight of 87 kg, the E-Axle is compact and lightweight, and its power density is far higher than that of other companies. The reason for the production of such compact and lightweight products is that Japan Dec has developed know-how to continuously introduce the smallest motors in the world, such as ultra-small and ultra-thin type technologies that we have cultivated over many years in the IT field.

In addition, a completely new cooling method has been adopted in the "E-Axle". Although there are also water-cooled drive motors, they tend to become large and heavy because components such as water jackets take up more space. For this reason, the E-Axle uses an oil cooling structure that applies cooling oil directly to the motor to be cooled. In addition, the two-way oil cooling structure in which oil is injected from the top of the motor through the oil cooler (Flow Cooling) and the structure in which oil is violently sprayed from the rotating motor bearing to cool the winding ends (Splash Cooling) by centrifugal force maximize cooling efficiency and achieve extreme miniaturization of the motor.

Improving the efficiency of the motor requires increasing the winding density of the stator core, but doing so will result in a decrease in the productivity of the coil winding process. For this reason, we have adopted a new process method called the "High Footprint Winding Method" (Cassette Inserter), in which the winding part is made into a cassette coil and inserted into the motor to achieve high productivity and high footprint.

Strive to be the world's leading manufacturer of electric vehicle drive motors, and step up the construction of a mass production system.

Through the development of these technologies and methods, the E-Axle has been applied to six electric vehicles in the past year since mass production. As of December 2020, about 100,000 electric vehicles are equipped with E-Axle. The compact and lightweight nature of the E-Axle has increased the degree of freedom in body design, and due to its high driving performance, power performance, power consumption, and quietness, even in China, which is the first country in the world to popularize electric vehicles, the E-Axle is very popular. In addition to the praise from customers, E-Axle also won the "Grand Prix Japan Keizai Shimbun Award" at the "2019 Nikkei Excellent Product Service Awards" sponsored by the Japan Economic News.

The award was selected from six aspects: 1) technology development, 2) cost performance, 3) contribution to the company's performance, 4) growth potential, 5) uniqueness, and 6) impact on the industry and society.

Just as engines are divided into large and small displacements, the E-Axle has a strong lineup that can support almost all automotive segments in the world, from small cars to large SUVs, and is expected to be able to mass-produce the five standard products of the E-Axle by 2023 (please refer to the related content at the bottom of the page). The fact that we have been able to carry out development and mass production at such a rapid pace is due to the in-house production of our main components, our corporate culture of developing know-how and rapid development that we have cultivated in the fields of IT and home appliances, the fact that we have a large number of experienced human resources who come from automotive manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers, and our firm belief that we will be the world's leading manufacturer of electric vehicle drive motors.

Japan Electro Lineup of the E-Axle drive motor system

In the future, the spread of electric vehicles will accelerate further, and the company plans to produce more than 10 million units of the E-Axle by 2030. Japan Denco sees 2025 as a watershed year for electric vehicles, and aims to accelerate R&D with the goal of gaining a 40 to 45% global share of the drive motor segment by 2030 and accelerating the establishment of a large-scale production system on a global scale

E-Axle drive motor system (EV drive motor system)

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