ELECTRIC VEHICLE INNOVATION
EV INNOVATORS SINCE 1994
UNRIVALED EV DEVELOPMENT
FOR MOTORSPORT
AND ROAD CARS
Zytek has been deeply involved in electric vehicle engineering innovation, research, and development within the automotive industry since 1994, and is proud of a number of EV motorsport firsts:
- First electric sports car vehicle with torque vectoring drive system at SAE.
- First Daimler Smart production electric vehicle.
- First 6 in 1 drive system to reduce EV powertrain mass and complexity.
First 6-in-1 Drive System
When Gordon Murray Design was looking to create a new concept for urban mobility, he needed a partner with whom to work in the design of a new, lightweight electric drive system. Zytek was nominated to create a suitable lightweight drive system.
The resulting system was 39kg, encompassing a traction machine, inverter, charger, DCDC converter, HV power distribution unit, and the vehicle control unit – a 6 in 1 system that is being discussed so frequently today (but not yet in production).
The concept was presented to the public in 2011 and was the basis for many subsequent successful, lightweight electric vehicle projects.
Zytek EV Beginnings
Up until 1994, Zytek was exclusively a motorsport company.
During a business trip to Japan, engineers were taken aback by levels of urban pollution in the most densely-packed areas of the cities. Generated mostly by the very high levels of traffic pollution, the decision was taken to find a solution – this solution was a zero-emission vehicle, the electric car.
In terms of innovation, this was the perfect platform on which to generate a new means of transportation propulsion as nothing existed that could be packaged within the tightest of confines, an engine bay of an urban vehicle.
Lotus Elise Electric Sports Car
Following a number of internal demonstrator projects, it was decided to develop an electric sports car based on the Lotus Elise. As a lightweight, aluminium vehicle platform, it was ideal in many respects, but as one of the smallest vehicles on sale at the time, certainly posed a challenge for the packaging of the necessary high voltage battery technology.
The drive system was designed to be fully torque vectoring with individual motors driving each rear wheel via a simple offset reduction gearbox. The inverters for the electric machines were housed together in a large flat chassis enclosure, with 3 phase flying leads for the electric machines. The battery technology used was initially NiCd, with a second demonstrator created using the new (for the time) NiMH chemistry.
With a modified dashboard (with a rev-counter now reading motor speed) and the redundant gear shift lever removed, the vehicle looked like it had just left the factory.
When shown at the SAE World Congress and Exhibition in 1998 in Detroit, this vehicle was nominated as one of the ten most exciting automotive industry technologies at that year’s event.
See Lotus EV Case Study.
Daimler Smart Platform
Zytek has had a long history of working on the Daimler Smart platform.
When the platform first entered production, it utilised a range of internal combustion engines. However, Zytek proposed to Daimler to complete the development of the electric drive system and to present the results back to Daimler at the right time.
After five iterations of drive and battery technology, the results were accepted for use in a trial on public roads with customers throughout the UK.
After 100 vehicles had been converted using Zytek’s Lichfield facility, plans for a second, much larger, worldwide trial phase was agreed, culminating in 2,500 electric cars produced at the Smart manufacturing facility in Hambach.
The production run of drive systems was produced by Zytek in the UK on a dedicated, customised manufacturing line, and shipped into France on a weekly basis.
All this demonstrated Zytek’s electric vehicle innovation capability not only to research and develop but to take this forward and create production-quality systems, integrated into a whole vehicle environment.
RELATED INNOVATION
Digital Engine Management
Vehicle Electrification
Hybrid Motorsport
Hybrid Road Vehicles
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
From the electric single-seater sports car with individual wheel motors (developed over 20 years before the first season of Formula E) to the latest generation of pure electric sports cars to the Daimler Smart platform.
We have a rich history of creating high-performance concepts, see Our History.
We offer many areas of specialist design to bring your EV project to life, including
- Concept & Prototype Vehicle Design – from chassis and interior to powertrain design, manufacture, building, and testing.
- Electronic Design – electronics pioneers in road and race applications.
- Mechanical Engineering Design – all the necessary skills required for full vehicle build.
Yes, advanced materials can be used throughout the drivetrain, derived from aerospace and other industries.
In motorsport, the emphasis is more towards lightweight and efficiency, whereas in road car units, the cost has much higher importance.
The balance of product cost (and the impact of material choice vs efficiency and cost) can always be simulated and discussed with customers enabling data-driven decisions to be made regarding product design.
Yes, using our fully equipped workshop facilities our highly experienced team will fully build your prototype vehicle.
Yes, bought in laminations are cut to profiles simulated in our design tools. We wind stators and assemble rotors in house, and complete the assembly process with a range of low-speed measurement tests to ensure quality and performance targets are met.
Yes, bare PCBs are bought in, then our expert internal resources are used to produce finished components.
