At the 67th IAA Commercial Vehicles, Dana Incorporated and vehicle manufacturer Karsan announced the availability of the Karsan ATAK electrified midibus featuring Dana's TM4 SUMO MD electric motor and inverter.
Karsan, a manufacturer of light commercial vehicles, shuttle buses, and city buses, is focused on providing contemporary product and service solutions for mass transportation. The company has been developing sustainable electric-driven vehicles since 2015 and introduced its first prototype electric minibus, the Karsan JEST, in 2016.
"Globalization, increased environmental concerns, and the need to reduce operating costs continue to drive our innovative thinking," says Christophe Dominiak, Chief Technology Officer for Dana. "As Dana expands its capabilities and the scope of product offerings for electric vehicles, we are pleased to be working with industry leaders like Karsan, which has extensive vehicle development and manufacturing expertise."
The electrified bus is based on the Karsan ATAK 8-m low-entry bus platform and is equipped with a TM4 SUMO MD electric motor and inverter. The TM4 SUMO MD is composed of a high-torque, permanent magnet variable reluctance (PMVR) direct drive motor and automotive-grade power electronics. The new motors with the PMVR technology for external rotors can deliver 45% more torque and operating speed than previous motors in the same compact package while reducing cost.
PMVR works by adding specially-designed soft magnetic composites (SMCs) next to the magnets. SMCs are produced through a new forming process and fabrication method by TM4. The SMCs also allows the use of simpler and smaller magnets that are easier to manufacture and that uses less rare-earth in the fabrication process to account for 25% savings in magnetic material.
This new bus platform is able to operate with a range of up to 300 km on a single charge. Dana is also a key contributor in the development of the vehicle control software, through the supply of hardware and services related to its TM4 NEURO 200 vehicle control unit platform and SynApps development tool.
