Magna will build an 800 V two-speed eDrive for Chery at its new Wuhu plant

Chinese automaker Chery has awarded Magna a contract to build an 800 V electric drive system, which will be built at Magna’s new Wuhu facility in China, enabling the company to supply Chinese automakers locally.

The system is a two-speed eDrive rated at 250 kW. Magna describes it as a compact, integrated design drawn from the company’s modular electrification portfolio, and says the architecture is engineered to improve power density and energy efficiency. The system supports a range of battery-electric applications and can be integrated across global platforms, according to the company.

Increasing system voltage from the traditional 400 volts to 800 volts reduces resistive losses in the cables, connectors and busbars and allows the use of lighter conductors and smaller cooling hardware. The higher bus voltage can also increase the speed of DC fast charging, as charging power scales with voltage at a given current limit. Inverters at that voltage generally switch on silicon carbide rather than silicon IGBTs, since SiC devices block the higher voltage with lower switching losses.

A two-speed gearbox gives the motor a short ratio for launch and gradeability and a taller ratio for efficiency at highway speed. A single-speed reduction has to split the difference in one fixed ratio.

Magna’s DHD Duo dedicated hybrid drive system has reached series production with Chery on the Jetour G700.

“This new 800 V eDrive award with Chery reflects how we support OEMs as they move forward,” said Diba Ilunga, President of Magna Powertrain.

Source: Magna