Commercial vehicle manufacturer Karsan has incorporated Dana’s TM4 Sumo MD electric motor and inverter in its Karsan ATAK electrified midibus. The company has been developing sustainable electric-driven vehicles since 2015 and introduced its first prototype electric minibus, the Karsan JEST, in 2016.
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 kilometers 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.
