Optimising the fastener specification for Electric Vehicle (EV) motors

The core element within an Electric Vehicle (EV), aside from the battery, is arguably the motor that replaces the traditional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). Given its relatively large size and weight, it is vitally important to consider how the fasteners used for its assembly can help design ambitions to be realised without compromise, as EJOT UK’s Application Engineer, Dan Lunn, explains.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have come a long way in the past three decades. Despite having a history stretching back to the early 1800s, recent progress has been accelerated though a series of technological breakthroughs that now make them a viable alternative to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles.

Key to the success of the EV market is the ability to create safe, practical electric vehicles, which have batteries capable of providing enough power for the driver to achieve an acceptable range without adding significant weight. This is a challenge that manufacturers across the world are overcoming extremely effectively thanks to advances in fastening technology.

EJOT's Innovation

The innovation by EJOT, in what are some of the smallest components in an EV, is playing a major role in helping the industry reducing CO2 emissions globally and enable governments to succeed in their policies to phase out petrol and diesel power in the majority of cases.

By implementing new types of fastening technology, EV manufacturers are achieving the equilibrium. This has been an important facilitator of change in the automotive industry for several decades because it has enabled thinner and lighter materials to be used in vehicle construction without compromising strength and safety. Meeting fuel efficiency goals in ICE vehicles may have been the initial goal, but today it is unlocking the potential for vehicles powered by electric motors.

EJOT has been at the forefront of the ICE to EV shift through our range of screws and fastening systems, which are capable of securely joining many different types of plastics, composites and thin sheet metals. And this offers important benefits in respect of the electric motor. Using EJOT fasteners here can enable lightweight materials to be securely attached to prevent weight gain to the vehicle as a whole – a big factor in maximising EV range.

The electric motor is amongst the most important components in an EV. In recent years, the design and engineering of motors has changed and moved forward with the new technologies that surround it – but size and weight are still major influences on design.

But there are production efficiency and cost minimisation factors that also come into play with EV motors, as with all areas of the vehicle’s construction. Rationalisation of parts is one way to address this, which gives the fastener specification another level of significance. If one screw can be selected to perform the same joining function as several different screws in a single assembly, that is an extremely attractive proposition from a commercial perspective.
 

Our Range

If standardisation of parts and parts reduction overall are key objectives in your EV motor project, coupled with simpler installation and increased performance, EJOT can help. Our range of screws has the potential to transform the assembly of electric motors in EVs, particularly the EJOT EVO PT screw.

This EVO PT is a self-tapping fastener for thermoplastics. It has excellent connection properties as a result of an innovative forming thread which creates a torque curve during the installation phase, almost independently of the screw-in depth. This means it provides a uniform tightening torque that can be used in production at different screw lengths.

Another EJOT fastener that is becoming increasingly important to EV motor assembly is the ALtracs Plus. This is a self-tapping screw for light metal which is ideal for use with aluminium because it facilitates the use of smaller and shorter screws, but with consistently high strength values, high clamp loads and long term stability – even under high dynamic and thermal stress.

In addition to offering advanced fastening products, EJOT provides specialist prognosis software for key products including ALtracs Plus and EVO PT. ALtra CALC and EVO CALC have been created to help designers from the initial development phase to select the correct products, offering the potential to save time and costs during the development process.

Products like the EVO PT and ALtracs Plus demonstrate the great versatility of the EJOT automotive fasteners range. From fixings for the internal components of the motor to a new method for joining the outer casing, EJOT has the solution.
 

What to know more? Read about the fasteners featured in this article:

• EVO PT - The self-tapping screw for plastics
• ALtracs Plus - The self-tapping screw for light metal
• ALtra CALC & EVO CALC - Prognosis software that can accelerate R&D programmes