Engineered Machined Products (EMP), a Concentric AB company and producer of mechanical and electric water and oil pumps, electric fans, thermal management systems and highly complex precision machined components, has developed a range of high voltage (HV) components to meet the heavy-duty thermal management needs of commercial vehicles as well as on-and-off highway applications.

The organisation is presently focused on the release of a high voltage version of its popular Smart Flow FiC-15 e-fan, where it was first to market, followed by the FiC-31 HV e-fan.

“Both e-fans were created for use in medium- and heavy-duty on-highway vehicles and are a great option for electric industrial vehicles,” explains Kevin Puszczewicz, EMP’s VP sales and customer service. “The robustly-built brushless fans are currently being integrated into several fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) and battery electric vehicle (BEV) cooling applications.

“A real differentiator for EMP is that our e-fans maintain an air-cooled design, as opposed to others in the sector which need to be liquid-cooled. This essentially eliminates the requirement for additional cooling capacity needed for liquid-cooled systems.”

The FiC-15 is designed to run at a voltage range of 500 to 850V with up to 3kw of power, and the FiC-31 up to 25kw of power, depending on application specifications. The FiC-31 HV motor controller is also built to be modular.

“In addition, EMP has introduced the WP150 HV high-performance, long-life electric water pump, for use in cooling systems within extreme environments. These e-pumps can be used in off-road applications, power generation, and large vehicle applications, including fuel cell, diesel, electric, and other alternative fuel applications,”adds Puszczewicz.

The WP150 HV e-pumps are designed to run at a voltage range of 500  to 850V with up to 3kw of power, depending on application specifications.

Utilising Smart Flow technology, the new HV fans and components are Controller Area Network (CAN) controlled to provide variable speed for precise control as well as full diagnostic capabilities.

“When compared to low voltage components, EMP’s HV options provide a number of advantages to commercial electric vehicles,” says Puszczewicz. “Firstly, they eliminate the need for costly high amperage DC/DC convertors, a notable benefit.

“Due to its power and heat output, a converter dedicated to providing power to all 12 or 24V components typically requires its own cooling. Removing that converter not only eliminates its own weight and added wiring complexity, but it also removes the additional cooling system. This has been the major driver for OEMs to switch e-fans from low voltage to high voltage.

“And by simplifying the vehicle architecture, we’re additionally improving space availability within commercial EVs, which is a limited resource. It’s a real challenge for OEMs to create the maximum amount of space for battery packs to increase power and range, while still remaining under weight limits and packaging dimensions. More efficient thermal management systems remove redundant componentry to allow for increased battery architecture, something that could be critical to an OEM’s competitive edge. There is also increased performance because we are able to physically spin the fan blade faster due to the higher voltage.”

Saul Wordsworth is deputy editor of the iVT brand - which includes digital and print editions of a quarterly magazine and Off-Highway Annual, as well as ivtinternational.com. He is a keen cyclist and lives in north London.

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