Sustainability is a key challenge today. The high emission impact of the mobility sector requires a shift from internal combustion engines to electric traction motors. In order to improve sustainability holistically, the entire lifecycle from raw materials, manufacturing, use and end-of-life must be considered during development. Although a lot can be carried out to influence sustainability during the development phase, knowledge about the product is still very limited. Considering the main lifecycle stages already during the development phase requires a systematic development approach. Furthermore, integrating data from previous product generations is required. Generating a digital twin which collects data over the lifecycle is a useful tool which enables the prediction of evaluation criteria for the lifecycle stages. However, when using the digital twin, a suitable description model needs to be generated. A cross-lifecycle evaluation model based on Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate sustainability throughout the whole lifecycle. Information for evaluation was generated using a cross-lifecycle modeling approach, which enabled the combination of different lifecycle perspectives during development. To show the potential of evaluating different solutions from different perspectives, the methodology was demonstrated with a lightweight rotor of an electric traction motor. The great potential of the process model is shown.

Die wandlungsfähige Produktion von elektrischen Traktionsantrieben lässt sich mithilfe modularer Produkt- und Produktionsbaukästen realisieren. Hierfür sind Informationsmodelle und Integrationskonzepte zu entwickeln. Dieser Beitrag thematisiert die Entwicklung und Implementierung der IT-Infrastruktur für ein agiles Produktionssystem von elektrischen Traktionsantrieben im Rahmen des Forschungsvorhabens AgiloDrive2. Um notwendige Traceability-Anforderungen sowie Transparenz und Flexibilität zu erreichen, wurde ein Integrationskonzept zur Verknüpfung unterschiedlicher in der Produktion vorliegender IT-Systeme erarbeitet und für Evaluierungszwecke umgesetzt.

The mobility sector is currently undergoing one of the most profound transformation processes in its history. With ambitious climate targets on the horizon, there is a pronounced shift towards electric traction drives. However, in comparison to drivetrains with internal combustion engines, electric drivetrains and batteries have a larger carbon footprint during manufacturing. Thus, product innovations become important to reduce the carbon emissions associated with the traction motor. Among these innovations are lightweight components such as rotor shafts, balancing disks, and magnetic fixations. This study compares three novel components with spring behavior designed for lightweight rotors in terms of their carbon footprint, contrasting them with state-of-the-art electric traction rotors. Given the substantial carbon footprint resulting from the use of rare earth magnets in rotors, efforts are directed towards highest value preservation. With regard to the potential of lightweight components, carbon emissions can be reduced during the electric motor operation. This paper discusses a life cycle assessment of electric traction rotors using lightweight components. A hotspot analysis shows that the environmental impact of the components can be significantly reduced by avoiding the use of chrome steel and by recycling of permanent magnet materials.