ELECTRIC DRIVES

 

About us

 

Ansaldo Electric Drives is a business line inside Ansaldo Energia, a Finmeccanica Group Company subject to joint direction and coordination by Finmeccanica and First Reserve Corporation.
Ansaldo Electric Drives has more than 30 years’ experience in electric and hybrid vehicle drive systems as part of the Ansaldo Group. Today, Ansaldo Electric Drives is building on this experience to raise its profile in international markets.
In Europe, Ansaldo Electric Drives is recognised as the leading provider of traction solutions in the electric drive sector, with the following main points of strength:

  • the supply of a complete range of electric drives (motors + inverters)
  • the supply of complete solutions for electric and hybrid vehicles on a joint basis with highly qualified partners
  • the provision of high quality technical assistance and after sales service

 

Activities 
 

Ansaldo Electric Drives is the European leader in the design, manufacture and supply of electric traction systems and complete solutions for electric and hybrid vehicles.
With thirty years’ experience in traction system development and the support of first rate partners, Ansaldo Electric Drives can offer solutions tailored to  customers’ specific applications requirements, providing complete drive train solutions for hybrid and
electric vehicles:

  •  Inverter
  • Control software
  • Motors/generators
  • Battery systems
  • Reduction gearboxes
  • Independent suspensions

 

The core of the Ansaldo Electric Drives offering is a range of proven drive systems featuring inverters, control software and motor/generators based on proprietary technology.

Ansaldo Electric Drives offers systems suitable for many different types of vehicle, from small city cars, through a wide range of vans, to large buses (up to 12 m) for urban transport applications.
Ansaldo Electric Drives products have the best price/performance ratio in relation to market requirements and are based on the innovative application of well proven technologies: asynchronous motors and IGBT inverters with microprocessor control and liquid cooling systems, managed by proprietary software developed entirely in-house.
For each new application, Ansaldo Electric Drives optimises the integration of the traction drive system and defines the best possible interface with the customer’s vehicle, based on a deep understanding of the specific functional requirements in each case.
With a track record of several tens of millions of kilometres, Ansaldo Electric Drives’ products lead the market in terms of reliability and references: the experience of the business line is reflected in more  than 2,000 units sold (2011 figure) and over 30 different types of electric and hybrid vehicles fitted with our drives, ranging from 7.5 to 180 kW nominal power, including cars, vans, buses, trolley buses and other heavy duty vehicles.

Ansaldo Electric Drives can  also supply other components or complete systems, including on board battery chargers, DC/DC converters and generators for electric and hybrid vehicles, powered by internal combustion engines or fuel cells.

 

Today, on a joint basis with leading Italian partners, Ansaldo Electric Drives offers totally innovative solutions, including a complete independent suspension solution for large commercial vehicles and minibuses, handling all development and integration issues for the customer.
Ansaldo Electric Drives provides comprehensive after sales support for all its products.

 

Inverter

Thanks to Ansaldo Electric Drives proprietary control software, the inverter can be easily configured to optimise the drive train performance for each application.
Due to compact design and water cooling, the three phase IGBT inverter has very high power density and so is easy to package into the vehicle.
The aluminium casing offers IP56 protection and ensures compatibility with the automotive environment.

 

Control Software

Tens of thousands of hours have gone into developing the software built into each drive controller to provide a flexible platform that can be adapted to deliver the best solution for each customer application.
The control system has been fully developed inhouse, from the low level inverter drivers right through to the high level  application software.
The control system is integrated directly into the inverter to deliver maximum efficiency and reliability.

The system can be optimized for each new vehicle type by adjusting application specific parameters.
Communication with the vehicle platform is achieved via CAN bus protocols.
The drive system can be configured to operate with internal combustion engine controls, electronic braking systems and battery management systems.


Motor/Generator

Ansaldo Electric Drives motors are water cooled induction motors.
The motors are available in three standard sizes which, based on their modular designs can be adapted to different lengths to match specific applications.
The motors can be paired with a variety of leading vehicle gear box solutions to perfectly match specific vehicle requirements for torque and power. The end result combines both low production cost and the highest levels of quality.
In addition, auxiliary motors with dual shafts are  available based on the same induction motor technology.
A complete range of water cooled induction generators are available up to 60 KW. These generators provide high power density and can be controlled by Ansaldo Electric Drives inverters.

 

Mechan

ical Integration
 

Ansaldo Electric Drives motors and generators can be flexibly combined with first rate mechanical components into complete drive system solutions. Innovative products including integrated independent suspension are in development with first tier automotive mechanical system partners.


After Sales Services
 

Ansaldo Electric Drives offers a full range of services and qualified personnel for technical assistance through all phases of each customer vehicle program: from prototyping to qualification and homologation, series production and commercial operations.

Ansaldo Electric Drives services include:

  • Technical assistance
  • Training
  • Spare Parts
  • Upgrading and retrofitting

 

Manufacturing

To meet the challenges of increasing competition and the most stringent quality requirements,  Ansaldo Electric Drives continues to invest heavily in human resources, technology development, manufacturing process improvement and quality assurance. A fully qualified supply chain has been developed for all key components in order to ensure the highest standards are maintained throughout the manufacturing process.
 

System testing

Ansaldo Electric Drives maintains up to date testing facilities at its factory for complete functional testing and homologation under the most demanding conditions. In addition Ansaldo benefits from unrivalled experience of operating electric drive systems in the field, giving customers confidence that its drive systems are proven and commercially ready for series production.

 

Quality 

 

Ansaldo Electric Drives operates a fully certified ISO 9001 quality system, covering all processes including: design, planning, manufacturing, testing, inspection, installation and servicing.