Hitachi Astemo, Ltd. will provide inverters and motors to JATCO, which will supply e-Axles to Nissan’s future e-POWER and battery electric vehicles. For Nissan’s electric axles, of which JATCO will be responsible as a Tier 1 systems integrator, Hitachi Astemo will deliver efficient, low-loss motors that use a square wire, as well as efficient inverters.
Demand is expected to rise worldwide for e-Axles that are not only lightweight, compact and efficient, but also more efficient to manufacture, with lower cost through a reduced number of parts. To this end, Hitachi Astemo will respond to the rapidly expanding e-Axle demand by expanding sales of its in-house developed electric axles to various automobile manufacturers globally. It will also supply motors and inverters for electric axles assembled by automobile and gearbox manufacturers.
Moving forward, Hitachi Astemo will leverage synergies from the 2021 merger of Hitachi Automotive Systems with Keihin, Showa and Nissin Kogyo to form Hitachi Astemo, taking advantage of the integrated technologies and resources while further enhancing its global production bases.
Specifically for the electrification business, it is aiming to invest ¥300 billion (US$2 billion) including R&D until fiscal 2025, increase sales revenue to more than ¥400 billion (US$2.7 billion) in fiscal 2025 and more than double sales revenue by fiscal 2030.
Hitachi Astemo in cooperation with Hitachi’s R&D Group offers a high power-density inverter due to its unique cooling power module and small, thin, highly heat-dissipating insulation mounting technology. Motors are Hitachi’s founding product, and Hitachi Astemo has established a competitive advantage in torque density through the technologies it has cultivated over the years. These include material development, analysis, sound-reducing and manufacturing technologies to develop the magnetic circuits comprised of magnets, electromagnetic steel sheets, and windings.
Hitachi Astemo also shows its strengths as a systems integrator, which includes optimization control software for motors and gears. At the same time, JATCO leverages its accumulated expertise from the development and mass production of transmissions to produce compact and quiet gearboxes. This combined with Hitachi Astemo’s motors and inverters is a total e-Axle package for Nissan.
Source:batteryindustry
