"HaPiPro²": E-Motor Project to Drive NRW Forward
Five partners from industry and two institutions of RWTH Aachen University are conducting joint research into the production of electric motors until August 2023. For the further development of the currently most relevant component, the so-called hairpin stator, a prototype demonstration line is currently being built on the premises of the Ford plants in Cologne. Different variants of this electric motor component, which is crucial for performance and efficiency, are to be produced there.
The chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University has been entrusted with the management of the underlying project "HaPiPro2". It is intended to make the hitherto complex production of electric motors significantly less expensive in the future and thus make a decisive contribution to local value creation in e-mobility production. The project, with a total volume of almost 5.3 million euros, is being funded by the NRW Ministry for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy with 4.3 million euros and is intended to set the course for establishing North Rhine-Westphalia as a location for electric motor production of the future.
The idea behind PEM's "Innovation Chain"
For all the presence of battery cell research, the "e-motor" component is often forgotten in the public discussion, says Chair Professor Achim Kampker: "We can now set clear priorities and at the same time launch an 'innovation chain' for continuous innovations in e-mobility products and processes." A seamless chain from basic research to large-scale production: the recent establishment of the Japanese-Italian automotive supplier Marelli for the production of e-motors in Cologne, for example, testifies to the region's potential as an e-mobility stronghold.
"We are proud to host this pioneering research center at our Cologne site," says Gunnar Herrmann, CEO of Ford-Werke GmbH: "This project will provide a unique engineering platform for companies, where production processes for the electric motors of tomorrow will be researched and developed." Meanwhile, calculations by PEM suggest that the production of e-motors in Germany could create around 5,900 additional jobs.
"HaPiPro2 is a good example of how the automotive industry is positioning itself for the future in close cooperation with research," emphasizes NRW Economics and Innovation Minister Prof. Andreas Pinkwart: "Only through such innovations can jobs be secured and new ones created in North Rhine-Westphalia as an automotive location. NRW is already a leader in Germany in many areas of e-mobility. We want to extend this lead further and take the lead in the production of electric motors in particular."
In addition to PEM, the "Digital Additive Production" (DAP) chair at RWTH Aachen University and the companies ENGIRO GmbH (Aachen), Ford-Werke GmbH (Cologne), thyssenkrupp Systems Engineering GmbH (Bremen), AMS Anlagenbau GmbH & Co. KG (Vlotho) and Berg & Co. GmbH Spanntechnik (Bielefeld) are involved.
Further information on the project is provided here.