ZF bags CLEPA innovation award for electric motor without rare earths

The automotive supplier association CLEPA has honoured ZF as a top innovator in the ‘Green’ category. The award-winning technology, an electric motor without rare earths, sets new standards in electromobility by dispensing with magnets and improving sustainability with the same performance.

“This award is a recognition of our continuous efforts to develop innovative and environmentally friendly solutions for electromobility,” says Dr. Otmar Scharrer, Head of Engineering Electrified Powertrain Technology at ZF. “With our electric motor, we are demonstrating a more sustainable alternative to conventional solutions that does not require the use of rare earths and at the same time offers maximum performance.”

Dr. Otmar Scharrer: “With our electric motor, we are demonstrating a more sustainable alternative to conventional solutions that does not require the use of rare earths and at the same time offers maximum performance.”

Rare earth metals are often difficult to extract, and their mining has a significant environmental impact. Nevertheless, they are still a necessary component of electromobility, as they are used in batteries and magnets. The I²SM (In-Rotor Inductive-Excited Synchronous Machine) from ZF completely dispenses with these metals by using an inductively excited, magnet-free system in the rotor. This reduces dependence on critical raw materials and significantly improves sustainability and efficiency.

Dispensing with rare earths saves valuable resources in production and reduces dependencies in the supply chains. In addition, compared to the permanent magnet synchronous machines (PSM) currently used, there are no drag losses due to permanent magnets, which leads to better efficiency during long highway journeys at high speeds.

ZF previously received the CLEPA Innovation Award in 2022 for its autonomous shuttle and in 2020 for an environmentally friendly eTrailer, a prototype truck trailer with an integrated electric drive. In 2017, WABCO and ZF won the innovation award for their jointly developed Evasive Maneuver Assist system for commercial vehicles.

Every year, the European association CLEPA recognizes outstanding innovative achievements in the supplier industry. In the Digital and Green categories, an international jury comprising experts awards prizes to particularly progressive, sustainable and digital projects.

The ‘Top Innovator’ title is selected by a jury of experts from around 80 applications and recognizes ground-breaking innovations in the industry. The award was presented on December 4 on CLEPA's 65th anniversary during a festive ceremony at Autoworld in Brussels. The ‘Green’ category recognizes innovations for more sustainable and climate-neutral mobility.