Additive manufacturing (AM) offers the possibility to produce components in a resource-efficient and environmentally friendly way. AM can also be used to optimise the design of components in mechanical and physical terms. In this way, functionally integrated, lightweight, highly efficient, and innovative components can be manufactured with the help of additive manufacturing in terms of Industry 4.0. Furthermore, requirements in the automotive industry for drivetrain components are increasingly being trimmed in the direction of efficiency and environmental protection. Especially in electromobility, the topic of green efficiency is an essential component. Exhaust emission legislation and driving profiles for evaluating vehicles are becoming increasingly detailed. This offers the potential to apply the advantages of AM to vehicle types such as conventional, utility vehicles, and nonroad mobile machinery (NRMM), independent of the electrical drivetrain technology (hybrid or fully electrical). AM also allows for us to produce optimally adapted components to the respective requirements and use cases. In this review, the intersections of AM and electromobility are illuminated, showing which solutions and visions are already available for the different vehicle types on the market and which solutions are being scientifically researched. Furthermore, the potential and existing deficit of AM in the field of electromobility are shown. Lastly, new and innovative solutions are presented and classified according to their advantages and disadvantages.

Additive manufacturing (AM) processes have experienced significant technological developments over the past decade. Today, 3D-printed metal parts can almost achieve the mechanical properties of conventionally manufactured components; process times have been shortened, and the range of available materials has been widely expanded. The decision between conventional manufacturing and AM is therefore becoming more complex, considering technical and economic criteria along the entire product life cycle. To reflect the vision of the manufacturer, each decision needs to be based on individual preferences and strategies. The present research introduces a standardised and systemised multi-criteria decision-making process to choose between additive and conventional production. Multi-criteria decision models from within the literature are analysed and a holistic decision matrix is developed based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The key novelty of the present research is the consideration of technical and economic categories along the whole product life cycle for decision making. The matrix allows an individual weighting of individual criteria along the product life cycle, starting with the conceptualisation of the product, and ending with marketing and after-sales. The approach is evaluated using two scenarios, including a control unit housing and a flat metal gasket, with different scopes of application. In conclusion, the developed multi-criteria decision matrix provides sufficient and repeatable results. The systematic decision process allows users to clearly identify the best production method for their individual use case.

Mobility is undergoing changes. Increasingly strict legislation regarding pollutant emissions and the protection of the environment are more important than ever. The change to electric mobility is also presenting the mobile world with new challenges and opportunities. Vehicles are becoming more and more efficient with higher power densities and better performance. Application-adapted components are being developed and used as a matter of preference. New production technologies can help to realise the change in mobility reliably. Additive manufacturing is one way of producing functionally integrated and performance-optimised components. AM offers the possibility to produce application-specific performance parts. Electric vehicles often have a problem with the thermal load of the components during power output and charging. Additively manufactured components with optimised topology and integrated cooling strive to achieve higher power density, enhanced cooling performance, and improved mechanical properties. AM not only makes it possible to produce functionally integrated and application-adapted components but also to reduce CO₂ emissions and conserve resources. The potential of additive manufacturing for mobility is particularly interesting for the spare and performance parts sector. Components can be improved in performance and manufactured directly on-site. The higher power density and the elimination of transport routes can make an additional significant contribution to environmental protection. This paper presents an overview of the current state of additive manufacturing in the field of electromobility with regard to replacement and performance parts using 3D metal printing. Based on an extensive literature research, a market overview is given. This serves as the basis for the further procedure and, building on this, the advantages of additive manufacturing are demonstrated using the example of an electric motor. The selected electric motor is an example of a defective component in a vehicle that needs to be replaced and whose performance can be improved by additive manufacturing and which can be produced on-site in a quantity of one. The motor is verified by means of a FEM simulation in order to determine the selection of an optimal water jacket topology and to demonstrate further potential for the future.

The demand for environmentally friendly, resource-saving and efficient technical solutions and concepts will continue to increase in the future. Environmental protection and the threat of climate change are the drivers for new and more environmentally friendly developments. On the one hand, the mobility sector is in a state of transformation. New developments are constantly being made with regard to electric mobility. Many European countries are introducing inner-city driving bans for locally emission generating vehicles. Therefore, the trend is at least towards locally emission-free driving. In the media and in the minds of the population, the car industry plays the most important role. However, light commercial vehicles, which belong to the category of non-road mobile machinery, are just as important. These also include multifunctional vehicles. These types of vehicles are often used in inner-city areas due to their narrow track and manoeuvrability. These types of vehicles have efficiency deficits and require modern and efficient drive platforms. On the other hand, new manufacturing processes such as additive manufacturing are improving. With these manufacturing processes, material can be saved by means of offcuts and design through sophisticated development. The great freedom of design in additive manufacturing also allows components to save resources and energy during operation by increasing power density and improving efficiency. As a result, more environmentally friendly components can be developed over the entire product life cycle, especially through 3D metal printing. A combination of new drive concepts and forward-looking manufacturing processes such as additive manufacturing offer great potential for an efficient and more environmentally friendly mobility of tomorrow. In this thesis, the transformation of a conventional powertrain into a partially or fully electrified powertrain is demonstrated by means of a multifunctional vehicle. The hybridisation of a multifunctional vehicle is demonstrated in concrete terms. The powertrain is transformed from a conventional vehicle powered by a pure combustion engine to a scalable and modular electrified drive platform in the field of non-road mobile machinery. Important aspects here are the protection of resources and the energy efficiency of the drive platform. A declared goal is local emission-free driving. In order to be able to make a concrete statement about the load requirements of the multifunctional vehicle, special load spectra are being developed. The load spectra will be expanded and presented as a basis for newly developed application-adapted driving cycles. In the transformation to an electrified drive platform, future-oriented and resource-saving manufacturing processes such as additive manufacturing in the form of 3D metal printing are analysed by based on a literature review and the advantages and emerging potentials of additive manufacturing are shown. In addition, this research work presents a new and holistic evaluation procedure for determining the most suitable manufacturing process. Using a systematic and holistic evaluation matrix, the drive platform is analysed along the product life cycle and components suitable for additive manufacturing are identified. The elaborated theoretical properties are verified by a practical test setup and the production of additive components. This research work shows the path of electrification of a multifunctional vehicle by means of specially developed driving cycles along the product life cycle with the potential of future- oriented manufacturing processes for electromobility.