MAXIMA

To better understand the project we, at ERIS talked to prof. dr. Maarten Messagie and asked him 2 questions:

What is MAXIMA about?

Maarten: “The ambition of MAXIMA is to design and develop a low-cost modular Electrical Machine (EM) for the automotive core market, with improved performances AND with a low environmental impact. To improve the performances, new concepts will be combined in the design. Additionally, a virtual replica of the EM, will be built in order to develop an optimal control strategy to operate the EM up to the limit. To reduce costs, the EM will be designed simultaneously with its manufacturing process flow which will be optimized for mass production. “

Why is MAXIMA important to VUB? 

Maarten: “In order to reduce the environmental impact, the life cycle of each solution will be analysed using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA is a methodology to understand in an unbiased manner the different environmental impacts of a product throughout all the different processes needed in its full life.   At the end of MAXIMA, prototypes will be manufactured for testing, assessment and validation of these new concepts.  VUB will develop the specific LCA methodology used in the project, as the research group has 15 years of experience in LCA and eco-design. The LCA will be a transversal activity, mainly from the designs of the EM onwards towards its manufacturing/recycling process flow. 

Thus, to be applied effectively and adequately, people involved in the project will also be trained on this LCA methodology.  At the beginning of MAXIMA, seminars will be organised to present the LCA, showing the available methodologies, the methodological choices and the data requirements for assessing EM and their recycling/manufacturing processes. 

Finally, the evaluation of environmental and economical materials attractive to recycle (high amount, high price) will be considered, comparing the impacts of materials to be selected, having in mind the most recent version of the list of Critical Raw Materials identified by the European Union. Recommendations for the reduced use of resources will also be included. Ecodesign recommendations will be suggested for the best environmental performance.”

Aim

The massive electrification of automotive vehicles will necessarily involve the development of low cost, highly compact and low environmental impact electrical machines (EM). The objective of the MAXIMA project is to develop and validate a complete methodology to design an EM as well as the associated production system for the automotive core market. The consortium brings together research teams and companies from the entire value chain, from raw material suppliers to car manufacturers along with a recycling company. Together they can face the main technological and scientific challenges in the electromagnetic, mechanical and thermal fields, reaching a solution close to market. 

Methodology

The methodology in this project will have to deal with often incompatible constraints such as efficiency, costs reduction, high performances in terms of power/torque density, and high recyclability, especially for critical raw materials. To achieve this objective, MAXIMA will focus on a dedicated topology: Axial Flux Synchronous Machine (AFSM). ASFM currently on the market are very efficient but cover only a niche market due to their high manufacturing costs. They also offer strong exploited or unexplored options, in terms of topologies and materials. Unlike radial flux EMs, the margin for improvements of AFSM is really significant by acting on both EM design and manufacturing process flow, thus allowing higher performances and lower cost while keeping a low environmental impact.

Impact

At the end, besides high TRL5 prototypes, the project will provide a validated methodology to accelerate the design, thereby reducing the time to market, and new technologies, such as EM digital twins, to operate EMs to their full potential.