Cummins Generator Technologies Announces Motor Generator and Power Electronics for Hybrid Commercial Vehicles

March 20, 2013

Cummins Generator Technologies announced the availability of its CorePlus™ Motor Generator and Power Electronics technology in the American market. It is available with power, torque and performance characteristics suitable for hybrid systems, electric vehicle designs, range extender solutions and electrical power generation in vehicles. A Power Electronics package embedding Cummins CorePlus controls software complements the Motor Generator.

The Cummins CorePlus Motor Generator is fitted between the vehicle engine and transmission, allowing OEMs to keep using their preferred engine and transmission. The Motor Generator has an integral rugged housing to allow it to operate in the harsh environment of the engine bay, and has the torsional strength to allow engine torque to be transferred through it to the transmission.

During the concept stage, a number of different permanent magnet rotor configurations were considered including: Surface magnet; inset magnet; and embedded magnet (with either a flat or ‘V’-shape). Ultimately, the embedded magnet layout was chosen due to its mechanical retention and environmental protection of the magnets, good field-weakening capability and low short-circuit current.

Likewise, after they looked at flat and flux-focusing V-shape magnets, a flat magnet installation was chosen as the best solution thanks to a lower magnet mass per unit (lower flux leakage than a V-shape), lower rotor inertia-end constraints for the rotor’s internal diameter and a simpler manufacturing process with a lower number of magnets.

Cummins Motor Generator Specifications:

• Peak torque - 660Nm
• Peak power - 90kW @ 1,300rpm
• Continuous power - 35kW @ 1,300rpm
• Motor efficiency - > 95%
• Overall length - 200mm
• Weight - 108kg
• Cooling - water-glycol