Finally, ‘e Autopos’ unboxing Round 3! The solutions used in e Autopos body and chassis were introduced in the first round, and in the second round, the solutions used in the traction motor were introduced. This time, we will look at the battery pack steel used in e Autopos.

Before looking into battery packs, let’s first look at the EV (Electric Vehicle) batteries. EV batteries, which are generally composed of Cell, Module, and Pack, make modules by tying up several battery cells and making packs by tying up several modules. The battery will eventually put in the form of a pack in EVs.

▲Electric Vehicle Battery Composition

Then shall we get to the main point now? As always, let’s start with the description of the table on the box first. The battery pack of POSCO eco-friendly car. Titled, ‘PBP-EV(POSCO Battery Pack for Electric Vehicle)’!

l Battery Pack of e Autopos, PBP-EV

PBP-EV is a POSCO’s eco-friendly car battery pack that responds to the structure of a 3rd generation EV skateboard using Giga Steel, stainless steel, and wire rod to correspond to third-generation electric vehicle skateboard structure. It is said that the collision safety performance has been enhanced by making ultra-high-strength steel by the roll forming method. Shall we dig a little more into what other features are hidden?

e Autopos’ battery pack is a component equipped with various control and protection systems in several modules, and POSCO’s high-strength steel plate and Giga Steel are applied. ‘Giga Steel’ is a steel plate that can withstand more than 100kg per 1mm² area and is the size of a 10 won coin that can withstand the weight of 10 tons or more. In the event of a car accident, Giga Steel is applied to protect the battery cell, and it’s possible to reduce the weight of the battery pack, increasing the mileage of the electric vehicle.

The stainless steel used in the battery pack is applied to the outer frame structure of the module in which a certain number of battery cells are bundled together to protect the car from external shock, heat, vibration, and more. Stainless steel has the advantage of suppressing swelling of battery cells during battery charging and discharging, and not being rusted even by moisture inside the battery pack because stainless steel is strong and resistant to corrosion.

▲Battery Pack of e Autopos, PBP-EV prototype

Oh, wait!

POSCO’s ‘e Autopos’ Unboxing Round 2! After looking at the e Autopos solution applied to the body and chassis of an eco-friendly car last time, we will take a closer look at the traction motor this time. The traction motor of an eco-friendly car plays the same role as the internal combustion engine and the heart when it comes to people.   That means e Autopos is an important component that actually makes cars move. So what kind of e Autopos solutions were used for the traction motors? Let’s find out together now!

l e Autopos’ traction motor based solution, ‘Hyper NO’ improves electricity efficiency(efficiency of EV)

Again, let’s have a look at the explanation table on the box before unboxing. Oh~ The e Autopos solution applied to the eco-friendly car traction motor is ‘Hyper NO!’. Let’s open the box and learn step by step what kind of material is Hyper NO, which makes the heart of eco-friendly cars beat, and what technology POSCO has added to it.

Here is a cylinder-shaped traction motor. As mentioned earlier, the traction motor is a component corresponding to the internal combustion engine. If the internal combustion engine uses fossil fuels as an energy source, the power to move the traction motor of an eco-friendly car is ‘electricity’. If we use less electricity and turn motors more, the energy efficiency will increase and will be helpful for the environment. Therefore, POSCO has developed special materials for the Stator Core and Rotor Core of the traction motor.

Hyper NO, the main part we saw on the explanation table on the box. Hyper NO is Non-Oriented electrical steel made by POSCO that helps improve the efficiency of traction motor due to low power loss. Non-Oriented steel is a steel with uniform power loss in all directions, and suitable for rotating device material such as motors where the Rotor Core rotates. Non-Oriented steel has grades, which is defined as Hyper NO when the Core Loss is 3.5W/kg(1.5T/50Hz) or less depending on the amount of Core Loss, and the motor efficiency increases when the traction motor is made with Hyper NO.

Hyper NO of POSCO was developed to minimize the energy loss that occurred inevitably in the process of converting electrical energy to rotational energy and also to increase efficiency, resulting in more than 30% lower energy loss compared to existing electrical steel. The thinner the electrical steel is, the less Core Loss is and POSCO is capable of producing Hyper NO thickness up to 0.15mm, allowing it to reduce Core Loss.

l Self-bonding, the traction motor technology solution of e Autopos

The core of the traction motor is made by overlapping the electrical steel in several layers. As explained earlier, the thinner the electrical steel, the more efficient the motor is, but to rotate the thin steel plate quickly, the plates must be stacked and combined into a single mass that can be rotated. Previously, electric steel was attached with welding, but welding had a problem that degraded the electromagnetic characteristics of electrical steel.

Accordingly, POSCO developed ‘self-bonding’ technology. Self-bonding is the application of an adhesive-like coating to the surface of electrical steel which enables it to bond closely without degrading the electromagnetic characteristics of electrical steel and even reducing not only core loss but also the noise generated by the gap between plates.

POSCO is expanding its sales through strengthening its network by providing electrical steel and use-solutions directly to global automakers and components companies.

Meanwhile, POSCO SPS is increasing the added value by producing traction motor core with electrical steel and POSCO International is also helping to expand its market at home and abroad.

That’s it for today’s unboxing! The traction motor applied with POSCO’s e Autopos is both economical and eco-friendly due to its low power loss and high energy efficiency. If you are looking for an eco-friendly car with great electricity efficiency, just as you are looking for a ‘fuel efficiency’ when choosing an internal combustion locomotive, you need to make sure if e Autopos solution is applied to the traction motor! In the next unboxing, let’s explore the e Autopos solution used in battery pack steel and battery materials!