SKF Technologies Critical in Helping Automakers Accelerate Electric Vehicle Development & Production

Jan 29, 2024

Company's Capabilities and Products Should Help Meet Growing Demand

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12 Jan, 2022, 08:00 ET

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LANSDALE, Pa., Jan. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The revolution of the North American automotive industry is in progress with the growing demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and SKF is well-positioned to support and advance the industry's growth goals. BEV sales topped three million globally in 2020, a 40% year-over-year increase despite COVID challenges, with sales expected to reach 30 million vehicles by 2035. The BEV sector remains the fastest growing of the electrified technologies (by some distance), achieving 100% year over year growth from September 2020 to September 2021 according to LMC Automotive, a global auto industry consultant.

SKF is investing in EV technology as part of its pledge to increase sustainability. As part of their commitments to the Paris agreement on climate change, a growing number of countries are set to phase out the production of new combustion-engine vehicles over the next two decades. Around the world, the electrification of passenger transport is picking up momentum. Public opinion also enables major cities to start imposing bans or extra charges on fossil-fuel vehicles to improve local air quality.

In response to this growing demand and in alignment with the company's stated goal of helping customers to become more sustainable, SKF is capitalizing on its decades of experience working in the EV sector and innovating products to improve EV performance and affordability. The company's commitment to and expertise in the rapidly evolving market puts it at the leading edge of development for EV manufacturing.

"Our capabilities allow us to support the industry in overcoming challenges, while taking advantage of the many opportunities that EVs represent," said Greg Zimmermann, President Automotive North America for SKF USA, Inc. "As technical advances like range extension, battery longevity, charging technology and available charging infrastructure continue to improve, the market will experience more competitive pricing attracting new buyers. And while cost reduction and more sustainable infrastructure will be important developments, the power density of BEVs will also continue to improve addressing range anxiety."

Since the beginning of the EV revolution, SKF has supported and helped catalyze innovation in the industry. Automakers in North America choose SKF bearings as critical components in their electric drivetrains – with more than 70% of all battery electric vehicles produced in the US featuring SKF powertrain bearings. SKF's work also includes developing tailored solutions to mitigate issues unique to EVs, including drivetrain damage resulting from electric current, hybrid bearings to improve performance, and other pain points of the EV customer.

"Electric vehicle power transmission may be mechanically simpler than their combustion-transmission counterparts, but building an efficient, reliable and enjoyable electric drivetrain is extremely challenging," said Zimmermann. "Although the number of bearings is about the same in an EV axle compared to a traditional one, the technical challenge is more difficult due to higher rotational speeds and demanding conditions on the bearings used in EV transmissions."

SKF addressed some of the challenges unique to EVs by redesigning the bearings and their components, such as the polymer cage, rolling components and by using special lubricating grease. In fact, customized and hybrid bearings are already solving some of the fundamental issues that can affect reliability in electric vehicles.

Specialized SKF EV Products include:

In addition to product development work, the SKF North American Technical Center in Plymouth, Michigan, also supports car makers in application-specific engineering. One area of particular interest for the BEV market is noise and vibration. EVs are quieter than conventional cars, and even small amounts of noise in the powertrain are noticeable. SKF has worked with leading international automakers to identify the sources of these noises and address them through bearing and system level design to improve the outcome.

Application-specific engineering and close cooperation with customers at the early phase of the electric powertrain development also allows SKF to design high-efficiency bearing solutions and arrangements in order to decrease overall system power losses, therefore maximizing EV range.

EV manufacturers also require supply chains and engineering capabilities that fit well with their manufacturing and product development footprint. SKF has adopted a full-value-chain approach by investing in product development, manufacturing and testing to target local EV markets.

"The global footprint for SKF matches the customer footprint. We work hard to make sure our products are where our customers need them when they need them. In today's world, SKF recognizes that our manufacturing and engineering capabilities need to be globally available to help meet customer demand," said Zimmermann.

LMC Automotive expects electric vehicles to make up 34.2% of new U.S. vehicle sales by 2030, with all-electric at 30.1% and plug-in hybrids at 4.1%. SKF has the technical, manufacturing and supply-chain capabilities needed to support the sector's accelerating growth.

About SKF USASKF USA Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of SKF Group, a world leader in rolling bearings and related technologies including sealing solutions, lubrication systems and services.

For further information, please contact:Fal Dieso, Vice President of Marketing[email protected]

SKF's mission is to be the undisputed leader in the bearing business. We do this by offering solutions that reduce friction and CO2 emissions, whilst at the same time increasing machine uptime and performance. Our products and services around the rotating shaft, include bearings, seals, lubrication management, artificial intelligence, and wireless condition monitoring. SKF is represented in more than 130 countries and has around 17,000 distributor locations worldwide. Annual sales in 2020 were SEK 74 852 million and the number of employees was 40,963. www.skf.com

® SKF is a registered trademark of the SKF Group.

Note to Editors:Source: LMC Automotive Limited; https://lmc-auto.com/

SOURCE SKF USA