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Operational Improvements
December 11, 2024
NAVYA has been developing innovative, environmentally-friendly, sustainable mobility solutions since 2014. The company, based in Villeurbanne, Lyon, France, builds driverless electric vehicles that move autonomously on defined routes.
“We created these shuttles for the intelligent transport of people,” said Thomas Morard, head of the development office at NAVYA. “Nearly three years ago a new model came on the market: The NAVYA Autonom Shuttle which is an autonomous vehicle with space for up to 15 passengers. It is used on public roads as well as on private properties, as e.g. airports and industrial sites.”
NAVYA is enjoying continuous growth. At the end of 2016 the company employed 60 people; now that number is already more than 210. Production takes place at two locations in France and the United States. Customers include municipalities, universities, airports and exhibition organizers. NAVYA is mainly active in Europe, the United States, Australia, the Near and Far East. To date more than 65 shuttle buses of the NAVYA Autonom Shuttle have been in service. Apart from buses, there are autonomous taxis: the Autonoms Cabs were presented in November 2017 and will be deployed in the second half of 2018.
“It is crucial to be able to rely completely on powerful, reliable motors with a high efficiency,” Morard said.
The French company sought a strong partner that could meet the high demands of the drive system. After that search, ABM Greiffenberger (Marktredwitz, Germany) was selected. The drive specialist has been firmly established in the French market for electromobility for years and maintains close contact with innovative companies and trendsetters in the industry. ABM engineers collaborated closely with their French colleagues in the project phase.
(Wolfgang Benzing, e-mobility manager at ABM Greiffenberger)
“We quickly realized that a particularly high-performance and environmentally friendly motor was required here. This was an exciting challenge,” said Wolfgang Benzing, e-mobility manager at ABM Greiffenberger.
(Three-phase induction motors from ABM Greiffenberger perform impressively in autonomous shuttles from NAVYA)
The engineers from Marktredwitz designed a robust three-phase induction motor specifically for the use in the NAVYA Autonom Shuttle. The motor has an optimized air cooling system and can be operated over a wide rpm range. In drive mode it has an impressively high efficiency. The motor has an output of 15 kW in continuous operation—the peak output is 35 kW. The peak torque is 130 newton-meters and the maximum rotational speed 8,000 rpm. The ABM-drive operates with an efficiency of more than 90 percent.
The three-phase induction motor from ABM Greiffenberger completely won over NAVYA.
“The drive fully meets our expectations. It is powerful, and we can rely on the fact that our passengers will be safely transported,” Morard said.
“In addition the motor is maintenance-free. This keeps the operating costs permanently low,” said Aymeric Dubois, test engineer. “Moreover it is particularly smooth-running and thus provides for low noise emissions.”
The cooperation in the development phase also plays an important part for NAVYA.
“We were able to establish a real partnership (between NAVYA and ABM),” said Xavier de la Chapelle, project architect. “The mutual relationship was always open and solution-oriented. NAVYA looks forward to further cooperation with ABM in the future for the development and production of more powerful motors for new applications.”
For more information:
ABM Greiffenberger
www.abm-antriebe.de
NAVYA
www.navya.tech
“We created these shuttles for the intelligent transport of people,” said Thomas Morard, head of the development office at NAVYA. “Nearly three years ago a new model came on the market: The NAVYA Autonom Shuttle which is an autonomous vehicle with space for up to 15 passengers. It is used on public roads as well as on private properties, as e.g. airports and industrial sites.”
NAVYA is enjoying continuous growth. At the end of 2016 the company employed 60 people; now that number is already more than 210. Production takes place at two locations in France and the United States. Customers include municipalities, universities, airports and exhibition organizers. NAVYA is mainly active in Europe, the United States, Australia, the Near and Far East. To date more than 65 shuttle buses of the NAVYA Autonom Shuttle have been in service. Apart from buses, there are autonomous taxis: the Autonoms Cabs were presented in November 2017 and will be deployed in the second half of 2018.
A Premium on Drive Performance
NAVYA imposes enormous demands on supplier part quality. For the latest advancements the drive performance played a particularly critical role.“It is crucial to be able to rely completely on powerful, reliable motors with a high efficiency,” Morard said.
The French company sought a strong partner that could meet the high demands of the drive system. After that search, ABM Greiffenberger (Marktredwitz, Germany) was selected. The drive specialist has been firmly established in the French market for electromobility for years and maintains close contact with innovative companies and trendsetters in the industry. ABM engineers collaborated closely with their French colleagues in the project phase.
(Wolfgang Benzing, e-mobility manager at ABM Greiffenberger)
“We quickly realized that a particularly high-performance and environmentally friendly motor was required here. This was an exciting challenge,” said Wolfgang Benzing, e-mobility manager at ABM Greiffenberger.
Meeting Customer Expectations
(Three-phase induction motors from ABM Greiffenberger perform impressively in autonomous shuttles from NAVYA)
The engineers from Marktredwitz designed a robust three-phase induction motor specifically for the use in the NAVYA Autonom Shuttle. The motor has an optimized air cooling system and can be operated over a wide rpm range. In drive mode it has an impressively high efficiency. The motor has an output of 15 kW in continuous operation—the peak output is 35 kW. The peak torque is 130 newton-meters and the maximum rotational speed 8,000 rpm. The ABM-drive operates with an efficiency of more than 90 percent.
The three-phase induction motor from ABM Greiffenberger completely won over NAVYA.
“The drive fully meets our expectations. It is powerful, and we can rely on the fact that our passengers will be safely transported,” Morard said.
“In addition the motor is maintenance-free. This keeps the operating costs permanently low,” said Aymeric Dubois, test engineer. “Moreover it is particularly smooth-running and thus provides for low noise emissions.”
The cooperation in the development phase also plays an important part for NAVYA.
“We were able to establish a real partnership (between NAVYA and ABM),” said Xavier de la Chapelle, project architect. “The mutual relationship was always open and solution-oriented. NAVYA looks forward to further cooperation with ABM in the future for the development and production of more powerful motors for new applications.”
For more information:
ABM Greiffenberger
www.abm-antriebe.de
NAVYA
www.navya.tech
