Nidec Leroy-Somer, has Been Selected by Airbus to Develop Electric Motors for its Future Hydrogen Powered Zero-Emission Engine
February 7, 2023
Nidec Leroy-Somer has signed an agreement with Airbus to develop an electric motor for its hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine prototype, as part of Airbus’ ambition to bring the first zero-emission commercial aircraft to market by 2035. The long-standing expertise and extensive know-how of the French electric motor manufacturer, who already provides proven advanced technologies to many demanding industries, such as Navy, Nuclear, Railway, Automotive and Robotics is now collaborating on Aviation decarbonization.
High level requirements
Leroy-Somer, part of the Japanese Nidec Group since 2017, is entrusted to design and develop a series of electric motor prototypes which meet very high requirements in terms of safety, reliability, energy-efficiency and lowest weight for the targeted power. Its skilled Research & Development Team is also challenged to explore breakthrough technologies and innovations to optimize the architecture of the aircraft propulsion system. Project management, design, engineering, and prototyping will all be done from its headquarters in Angouleme, France.
Meeting the performance
“We are pleased to have been selected by Airbus to provide our expertise in high efficiency electric motors and contribute, through our innovative R&D teams and solutions, to this ambitious eco-friendly commercial aviation project. This important milestone for more sustainable mobility, presents several challenges that we are committed to overcome, to serve the global community.”
Jean-Michel Condamin, President of the “Commercial & Industrial Motors” Division
A motor expert
For over 100 years, Nidec Leroy-Somer has been designing, developing and manufacturing drive systems recognised for their quality and longevity in all industrial and commercial sectors. Always at the forefront of innovation with a deep expertise of various motor technologies and the related power electronics, it has built up a relationship of trust with many OEMs for whom it has carried out projects with very tight specifications, developing customized solutions with high added value.
More than ever, to tackle global warming and the energy crisis, the electric motor has become a key player and Nidec Leroy-Somer is a renowned solution provider with its proven high energy efficiency IE5 motor DYNEO+ used in many different industrial fields.
“We are proud of this acknowledgement of our ability to cut energy bills & carbon emissions through tailor-made solutions, in one of the most severe environments. Our world-class R&D capabilities will bring to Airbus sustainable and powerful smart technologies with best-in-class energy efficiency for the near future of the Aviation”
Eric Coupart, Chief Technology Officer of the Commercial & Industrial Motors Division
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Nidec Launches Mass Production of Its Second-generation EV Traction Motor System
Nidec Corporation announced recently that is has started the mass production of the second-generation model (“Gen.2”) of its EV traction motor system, E-Axle.
In April 2019, Nidec became the alleged first tier-1 company in the world to launch the mass-production of E-Axle, the EV traction motor system that combines a motor, a gear, and an inverter (“Gen.1). Since then, a growing number of our Chinese and other countries’ customers have adopted Gen.1 to their automobiles, with 13 of their models equipped with it as of September 30, 2022 (More than 520,000 units have been produced by the date).
Gen.2, the E-Axle that the Company started mass-producing at Guangzhou Nidec Auto Drive System Co., Ltd. in China on September 26, 2022, is both lighter and quieter than its predecessor, Gen.1, based on magnetic circuit designing, oil cooling, and other technological know-how that we have nurtured via Gen.1’s development and mass production.
As Nidec aims to acquire 40 – 44% of the global share of the EV drive motor market by 2030, their E-Axle will be the driving force behind this effort.
