Bentley is getting into the act, next will be Rolls Royce

[TruckElectric]

Bentley believes Octopus program will produce electric car breakthrough

The British luxury brand indicates its Octopus study could revolutionize EVs, with results expected in three years.

Behold Octopus.
Bentley


Bentley believes in Octopus. That is, Optimised Components, Test and simulatiOn, toolkits for Powertrains that integrate Ultra-high-speed motor Solutions. Got that?

Probably not, so we'll explain. The British luxury marque on Wednesday announced the Octopus program, which aims to produce a breakthrough in electric motors for future electric cars. According to the company, engineers discovered a breakthrough in high-performance EV motor tech in the past 18 months, and now, the Octopus program hopes to produce real results in the next three years.

According to the announcement, the program has a lot to do with e-motors that don't include any rare earth materials. The idea is to create an e-motor that's entirely sustainable, especially for Bentley vehicles. And this motor should, if all goes according to plan, be incorporated directly into future electric car platforms. In addition to using sustainable materials, Bentley also said this potential e-motor wouldn't need any copper and the entire unit would be entirely recyclable after the car goes out of service

Even better, if the results bear the fruit Bentley thinks they will, the company hopes to implement the results in the first Bentley EV planned for before 2026.

Bentley plans to work on this project with nine other organizations in the UK. If successful, it sounds like the company thinks it may have a blueprint for future electric powertrains on its hands.

Source: CNET.COM

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[TruckElectric]

Bentley is owned by VW and Rolls Royce is owned by BMW

 

[Ehninger1212]

I love science fiction as much as the next guy, hopefully one day some of this stuff will be real. Like light sabers.. or this motor.

 

[TruckElectric]

Bentley Takes A Major Leap Towards First Electric Model

With a brand-new type of technology.

The 2020 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid is the closest thing the UK automaker has to an electric car right now, but the company has already promised that a full EV will come later this decade. Bentley says it won't be rushed, though, as it wants battery technology to improve on range and sustainability. To that end, Bentley Motors has just announced a three-year research study to create a more sustainable electric powertrain.

Bentley is calling the study OCTOPUS (Optimized Components, Test and simulatiOn, toolkits for Powertrains which integrate Ultra high-speed motor Solutions). Yes, that acronym is a major stretch and will be impossible to remember, but it has significant implications for the timeline of Bentley's first EV.

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The OCTOPUS study follows an 18-month investigation that delivered a groundbreaking electric drive system with a magnet e-axle, which is free from rare-earth magnets and copper winding.

This design helps the e-axle to be more cost-effective and recyclable at the end of its life. Bentley says OCTOPUS will focus on adding next-generation materials, manufacturing processes, simulation, and test cycles to the e-axle to create a fully electric drivetrain that will go in a production car as early as 2026.

"We have made no secret of our ambition to lead the way in the delivery of sustainable luxury mobility, Beyond100. We have a clear roadmap to offer a hybrid option for every model by 2023, starting with the Bentayga Hybrid, and our next goal moves towards a fully electric Bentley by 2026," said Stefan Fischer, Director of Powertrain Engineering at Bentley Motors.

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"However today, there remains challenges and package constraints on the viability and flexibility of electric vehicle powertrains that are able to fully support EV architectures. With the industry, technologies, and cars changing faster than ever before, research projects such as OCTOPUS are crucial to deliver innovative technologies and overcome challenges for the next generation of mobility solutions," Fischer added.

The Volkswagen Group, which owns Bentley, already produces an EV platform used on the Porsche Taycan and upcoming Audi e-tron GT. But Bentley says its first EV will be even more dynamic looking, like the EXP 100 GT Concept (pictured above). As a reminder, the EXP 100 GT is powered by four electric motors producing 1,340 horsepower and 1,100 lb-ft of torque, so Bentley's first EV should be an impressive performer.

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Source: CAR BUZZ

 

[TruckElectric]

Bentley Motors has launched a three-year research study on electric vehicle powertrains, utilizing a fully integrated, free from rare-earth magnet e-axle that supports electric vehicle architectures. This reinforces Bentley’s ambition to lead sustainable luxury mobility and introduce the first fully electric Bentley by 2026.

The study, titled OCTOPUS (Optimized Components, Test and simulatiOn, toolkits for Powertrains which integrate Ultra high-speed motor Solutions) follows an initial 18-month investigation that delivered a technological breakthrough in electric drive systems for high-performance vehicles.

Building on the UK’s leading electronics research, the resulting electric drive system exceeded the latest permanent magnet motor performance while simultaneously removing the need for both rare-earth magnets and copper windings, delivering a package both cost effective and recyclable at its end of life.

OCTOPUS will take this leading-edge motor, power electronics and packaging transmission design, adding next generation materials, manufacturing processes, simulation and test cycles to deliver a full e-axle powertrain with unique levels of integration and revolutionary performance characteristics suitable for real world application by 2026.

We have made no secret of our ambition to lead the way in the delivery of sustainable luxury mobility, Beyond100. We have a clear roadmap to offer a hybrid option for every model by 2023, starting with the Bentayga Hybrid, and our next goal moves towards a fully electric Bentley by 2026.
However today, there remains challenges and package constraints on the viability and flexibility of electric vehicle powertrains that are able to fully support EV architectures. With the industry, technologies and cars changing faster than ever before, research projects such as OCTOPUS are crucial to deliver innovative technologies and overcome challenges for the next generation of mobility solutions.

—tefan Fischer, Director of Powertrain Engineering at Bentley Motors​

OCTOPUS is an OLEV-funded project delivered in partnership with Innovate UK which brings together the following partners with distinct roles and responsibilities:

• Bentley Motors – Specification setting, vehicle integration plan and system test
• Advanced Electric Machines Ltd – Motor manufacturing and systems assembly
• Advanced Electric Machines Research Ltd – Motor and transmission design
• The Thinking Pod Innovations Ltd & Nottingham University – Power electronics optimization and alternative wide band gap system design
• The Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS) at the University of Bath – Integrated system analysis and proof of concept validation testing
• HiETA Technologies Ltd – AM component design and manufacture for thermal management including stator core housing, power electronics and E-axle oil cooling
• FD Sims Ltd – Next generation wire technology development
• Talga Technologies Ltd – 2D materials development for next generation winding technologies
• Diamond Light Source – UK’s national synchrotron light source providing access to X-ray facilities for measurements
• Hartree Center (Science and Technology Facilities Council) – Advanced system testing and co-simulation toolkit development

Advanced Electric Machines Group (AEMG) is a UK-based manufacturer of electric machines with established premises and processes to build up to 12,000 units per year of its rare-earth-magnet-free traction motors in Washington, Tyne & Wear. Focused on passenger car, commercial vehicle and aerospace markets, AEMG has supplied its motor technologies to customers in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. SSRD is a class leading magnet-free motor capable of delivering system level power densities of up to 21 kW/l while remaining rare earth and copper-free.

Source: GREEN CAR CONGRESS

 

[TruckElectric]

Talga and Bentley Motors to develop graphene-enhanced motor parts

Talga Resources, battery anode and graphene additives developer, has announced that it has been approved for Innovate UK co-funding to support development of an e-axle designed for Bentley Motors.

Copper windings in EV electric motors components. Image credit: Talga Resources
The OCTOPUS project aims to deliver the ultimate single unit e-axle solution designed specifically to meet Bentley Motors performance specifications via optimized motor and power electronics technology and materials. The project is funded under the Office for Low Emission Vehicles’ and Innovate UK’s “IDP15: The Road to Zero Emission Vehicles” competition.
Under the project Talga will develop and provide graphene materials for the high performance electric motor windings to deliver an aluminium-based solution aimed at outperforming, and ultimately replacing, the copper windings currently used.
The improved motor windings form part of the project’s aim of developing next generation lightweight high performance component systems that integrate the latest advanced materials and manufacturing techniques.
The components are to be tested at sub-system and system level for an integration route into future e-axle designs.

Talga Managing Director, Mark Thompson: “We are delighted to engage in jointly developing Bentley Motors’ e-axle concept with our consortium partners and are honored to have earned Innovate UK’s continued support. The successful use of Talga graphene material to lend aluminium the properties required to outperform copper in electric motors would be a big advancement. For automotive manufacturers this could reduce vehicle weight and increase performance, safety and driving range while retaining sustainability and economics. Lightweight and high performance automotive components perfectly complement our Li-ion battery anode products, and the advancement could pave the way for opportunities to replace copper wire in many large-scale applications globally.”

Source: Graphene-info