EMAX Central Drive Architecture
Your single powertrain solution.
The EMAX is a compact, versatile design that addresses the needs of many applications using an innovative one-size-fits-all philosophy. It’s designed for commercial vehicle classes 6-9. It offers several distinct advantages over other powertrains in its class.
Patent #10,711,867
Note: Agnostic to all motors
The Advantages of EMAX
EMAX is a multi-ratio gearbox. While passenger car electrics are able to get by with a single ratio engine, the higher GVW commercial applications benefit from adding multiple ratios.
Additional Benefits:
- Allows for greater efficiency.
- Equivalent or improved performance.
- 30% smaller powertrain.
- Uncompromised electric powertrain solutions to gradeability and highway speeds.
- Better driving experience.
- Increased range.
For a large passenger bus, a tractor trailer, a mining truck, or a full delivery van, using multiple ratios creates a much more desirable launch condition, and better highway speeds.
Next, the EMAX has an extremely high power density, made possible in large part by our special electro-mechanical clutches. The EMAX can accept up to 5200Nm of torque in just an 18″ package. This provides both power and flexibility in placement.
Finally, the EMAX is a modular powertrain. The motors, extension housings, and output shafts can all be changed to accommodate different applications without having to change the transmission. This gives the advantages of multi-ratios while saving the expense of oversizing motors or adding more motors than is required — as is often done with single ratio solutions. It also saves the cost of supporting multiple transmission programs for your truck fleet. Does your bus fleet need more power for San Francisco than for Omaha? Switch the motors to the required power level. Do you need to move a giant mining truck up a 15% grade? Add larger motors.
The EMAX electric powertrain is both the most efficient and the most versatile electric powertrain on the market for class 6-9 commercial vehicles. And the powerful design that makes it all possible is modularity.
How Modularity Works
EMAX has a common gearbox with interchangeable inputs and outputs. By building a transmission that can accept either one power input or multiple power inputs — a design process we call modularity — we’re able to reduce manufacturing and maintenance costs, minimize technical problems, and streamline sourcing.
In other words, we’ve reduced the number of different kinds of transmission that are needed by building one transmission that does it all.
This dual motor configuration maximizes efficiency in a CVT type manner.
With a change to the input shaft, and a bearing and spline added, this motor becomes a 1-motor-ratio 3-speed.
EMAX 2-Motor System
- All-electric powertrain with no hydraulics.
- Includes park and hill hold function.
Extremely high power density.
- Just 18″ long with 4 CVT modes capable of a combined 5200 Nm of input torque.
- Capacity for a class 8 semi-truck, but small enough for a class 1 F-150.
- Maximum efficiency multi-mode powertrain. Each e-motor operates at 3 and 2 unique ratios respectively, each with independent power flow through a common box. This maximizes efficiency — keeping more of the drive cycle in the “sweet spots” of the e-motors.
- High speed (8,000 RPM), quality shifting with reduced torque interruption.
A-motor ratios
- 1st gear 3.63:1
- 2nd gear 1.72:1
- 3rd gear 1:1
B-motor ratios
- 1st gear 2.64:1
- 2nd gear 1:1
EMAX Single Motor 3-Speed System
- All-electric powertrain with no hydraulics.
- Includes park and hill hold function.
Extremely high power density.
- Just 18″ long with three speeds capable of a combined 5200 Nm of input torque.
- Capacity for a class 6-8 and off highway commercial duty applications.
- High speed (8,000 RPM), quality shifting with reduced torque interruption.
- The 3-speed has fast AMT-type shifts <500 ms.
A-motor ratios
- 1st gear 3.63:1
- 2nd gear 1.72:1
- 3rd gear 1:1
