Recipient organisationAdvanced Electric Machines Limited
Funding£3.6M
PeriodDec 2019 — Mar 2023
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
Bentley Motors wants an electric car axle that spins at 30,000 revolutions per minute—fast enough to shred copper wiring—and a consortium of UK companies and universities is building one. Today’s electric vehicle axles are heavy, inefficient, and rely on magnets made from rare-earth materials. The OCTOPUS project aims to replace those magnets with a new “magnet-free” motor design, pair it with advanced power electronics, and integrate everything into a single lightweight e-axle unit. To validate the design, the team will use a synchrotron x-ray to look inside the motor while it runs at full speed—a technique never before demonstrated. If successful, the project delivers a prototype e-axle tested to Bentley’s own design verification standards, ready for a production vehicle programme. It also produces a new multi-physics simulation toolkit that models electromagnetic, mechanical, thermal, and noise behaviour simultaneously. Beyond the immediate prototype, the project develops aluminium-based motor windings that could outperform copper, and additive-manufactured thermal management systems that cut weight. These technologies target the 2035 Auto Council performance targets, laying the groundwork for lighter, more efficient, and more sustainable electric powertrains—without relying on scarce rare-earth magnets.
View original technical description
"OCTOPUS builds on the success of previous Innovate UK project APEX. **Advanced Electric Motors Research** and **The Thinking Pod innovations** will focus optimising the integrated motor and power electronics 'drive' technology and further integrating with a new transmission and thermal management system to deliver the ultimate single unit e-axle solution designed specifically to meet **Bentley Motors** performance specifications. OCTOPUS will use the world class synchrotron and high performance computing systems available from the **Science & Technology Facilities Council** to build new multi-physics modelling solutions and expertise of the **University of Nottingham** to build power electronics modelling solutions and validate them with test data generated by 'looking through' the motor while its running at its maximum operating speed of 30,000rpm. The prototype e-axle, manufactured by **Advanced Electric Machines** at their expanded manufacturing facility in Washington Tyne & Wear, will be tested to OEM Design Verification (DV) standards using the latest testing solutions and test specifications developed using both **University of Bath** and Bentley Motors vast powertrain testing experience, ensuring that it comes out of the project ready to be considered for a vehicle programme. Looking beyond the next generation, OCTOPUS will develop a suite of technologies which target the 2035 Auto Council performance targets by integrating the latest thinking in Additive Manufacturing and nano-material technologies. **Hieta Technologies** will deliver beyond state of the art thermal management and lighweighting solutions in both the motor and transmission while **Talga Resources** UK will develop materials for high performance motor windings delivering an aluminium based solution which will aim to out perform copper. By working on these technologies alongside the core e-axle design, OCTOPUS will aim to accelerate and focus their development with a view to incorporating successful elements into the testing and prototype units, laying the foundations for future design verification programmes. At the end of OCTOPUS the project team will deliver: * **An e-axle prototype** incorporating the latest magnet free motor, wide band gap power electronics and lightweight transmission systems, tested to OEM DV standards using a new test protocol proven on next generation test facilities * **A new multi-physics simulation modelling toolkit** incorporating electromagnetic, mechanical, thermal and NVH solvers operating simultaneously, validated by a never before demonstrated x-ray analysis technique * **Next generation lightweight high performance component systems**, integrating the latest material and manufacturing techniques and tested at component, sub-system and system level and with an integration route into future e-axle designs"
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