The "Schaeffler Mover" with wheel hub drive offers a flexible and emission-free platform for a wide variety of vehicle concepts. All drive and chassis components save space in one unit, the "Schaeffler Intelligent Corner Module". The module enables easy scaling in vehicle length and width as well as maximum space for new interior concepts.

12.04.2018 | Baden-Baden



The urban vehicle concept "Schaeffler Mover" celebrates its premiere at the 11th Schaeffler Colloquium. The technology company has developed a compact wheel module for the fully autonomous vehicle, which combines drive and suspension components. This "Intelligent Corner Module" allows a high maneuverability of the vehicle with very high comfort for the occupants. The technology platform of the "Schaeffler Mover" is designed so flexibly that it can flexibly implement various vehicle superstructures, from the robo-taxi to the autonomous delivery vehicle. With this concept, Schaeffler is responding to the challenge of securing the mobility requirements of people in fast-growing metropolises.

By 2050, two thirds of people are expected to live in cities. With the compression of habitats, the way in which people move in the city and are supplied with the goods for their daily needs is also changing. Autonomous and electrified vehicles, in particular in the new design of robotic taxis and people and goods movers, which supplement or even replace public transport in the cities, play an important role. Schaeffler provides the technical basis for such an urban mobility concept: the "Schaeffler Mover" with wheel hub drive and 90-degree steering provides a platform for a wide range of vehicle concepts, such as these robo-taxis or autonomous transport vehicles.



The drive and chassis components in the "Schaeffler Mover" save space in a compact unit, the "Schaeffler Intelligent Corner Module" summarized. This module, which is installed in all four wheels, includes the wheel hub motor, the suspension including suspension and the actuator for electromechanical steering. The steering of the wheel module is designed as an electromechanical steer-by-wire system. The chosen shape of the suspension allows a wheel angle of up to 90 degrees. This allows the vehicle to be maneuvered in narrow lanes and carved into short parking spaces on the side to allow passengers to get in and out. The turning radius of less than five meters makes the vehicle extremely mobile in city traffic. Also a turn on the spot is possible.



The traction motor of the wheel module - designed as a permanent-magnetized synchronous machine - is a variant of the wheel hub motor developed by Schaeffler in 2013 in a research project. In the current design for the "Schaeffler Mover", each of the four electric motors delivers a continuous output of 13 kilowatts and a limited peak power of 25 kilowatts at 300 volts operating voltage. The nominal torque of 250 Newton meters per engine can be doubled for a short time.



Reliable, flexible and comfortable: the "Schaeffler Mover" meets the crucial customer requirements for a highly automated vehicle for urban use. A specially developed vehicle dynamics control system makes it possible to individually control each "Intelligent Corner Module" and to combine the functions of Vehicle Dynamics Control (ESP), torque distribution between the driven wheels (torque vectoring) and four-wheel steering. Lateral movements can be implemented so almost without noticeable to the passengers lateral forces; very pleasant for example for reading passengers. At the same time, this drive concept guarantees a very high level of availability and reliability. The complete software for the drive and steering control comes from Schaeffler, including a comprehensive safety concept.



The high degree of integration of the Schaeffler module has further advantages. Overall, the drive and chassis require less installation space - the area that is being freed up offers more space for passengers and storage space for goods to be transported. The space created for the battery and ancillary components allows compact vehicle dimensions. These in turn can be varied. Finally, the vehicle can be implemented as a longer and wider version, without having to make changes to the drive and chassis. The modular vehicle body of the "Schaeffler Mover" creates the prerequisites for implementing a multitude of tasks in passenger and goods transport with a largely uniform chassis. The structure - which can be converted to suit the application you want - can be quickly separated from the platform, which bundles all the technology needed for driving. Only part of the sensor technology required for autonomous driving is also integrated in the structure.



Networking in autonomous city vehicles is a crucial prerequisite for smooth operation. The experts at Schaeffler achieve this through a digital twin of the vehicle, which represents an image of the real vehicle in the cloud. Through an ongoing analysis of the operating and status data, for example, future maintenance requirements can be identified with a timely lead time. "The vehicle, which is consistently designed for networked operation, fills a major gap in the current portfolio of the automotive industry," says Schaeffler Technology Director Prof. Peter Gutzmer.



The feasibility study, which can be experienced at the 11th Schaeffler Colloquium, will continue to develop Schaeffler in the near future. During the year it is planned to realize a ready-to-drive prototype including cabin and air conditioning.