Friday, March 6, 2020

Electric cars and bearings




Ball bearings have one job and that is to reduce friction and reach maximum efficiency. The way that this is done by reducing friction contact between machine parts. Even though bearings reduce friction, they also allow rotary motion and linear motion between two surfaces.

As the name suggests a ball bearings use a substantial number of balls which are usually steel which are surrounded by a spinning inner race. Finally it is engulfed by an outer race which is a steel ring and you are finally left with the bearing we know and use in the everyday bearing use.
Bearings carry loads along both it’s axis the rotational and perpendicular, those are the axis of rotation. Rolling element bearings that carry loads that are perpendicular to the rotational axis are named radially loaded bearings.
Ball bearings are most likely used to support small and medium sized loads and maintain there form under high speed and also high pressure. This depends on the application it is used in.

With the ever evolving automotive industry bearings had to evolve lest they find themselves being old news. Day after day there are more electric cars being driven on the roads. While the cars evolved the car manufacturing process changed with it. It seems every manufacturer has an electric car today from the BMW i3 to the Nissan Leaf the increased presence of electric cars on the roads has lead to much needed research.
Bearing manufacturers have developed their bearings and evolved them hand in hand with electric cars. Bearing manufacturers have kept up with the newest technology since 1907 so it is not at all a surprise that Bearing manufacturers have created the bearings for electric cars.
In fact Bearing manufacturers created a special line of bearings named e-drive bearings that allow electric cars to drive longer and more efficient, by decreasing heat and friction thus allowing the car to move more efficiently. Prolonging the life of the battery.
Key terms:

PHEV: these are batteries that are charged using an external source.
NEV: these electric vehicles are meant for street driving at lower speeds around 45mph

EREV: extended range electric vehicles these are able to switch to gasoline once the electric engine is low.

Fact: the Tesla model S is the most expensive Tesla priced at $100,000.