Remy International, the Pendleton, Indiana-based motor and component company has been acquired by auto drivetrain component giant BorgWarner as of the press release dated July 13, here.
Here's why this is huge news for EVs and hybrids. This is what Remy does (our emphasis and edit):
Our company is a leading manufacturer and remanufacturer in the automotive, heavy duty, and transportation industry. We produce starters, alternators and electrical components for worldwide distribution. Today, with a strong market presence in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia, Remy International is organized into three main business units:
Original Equipment
Remy’s original equipment division is comprised of three primary channels:
- Automotive: Remy is a major supplier for such original equipment manufacturers as General Motors, DaimlerChrylser, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai/Kia.
- Heavy-duty vehicles: Remy is the leading supplier of original equipment and aftermarket starters and alternators for heavy-duty vehicles in North America.
- Electric motors for electric and hybrid applications: Remy is the world's largest independent production electric motor supplier and a leader in many aspects of hybrid and electric vehicle technology, including our patented hairpin stator technology.
...
Aftermarket
As one of the largest producers of remanufactured starters and alternators for the aftermarket, we provide electrical replacement components, replacement parts and powertrain/drivetrain components for automobiles, light trucks, heavy-duty trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles. ...
Locomotive
The locomotive division remanufactures locomotive power, marine and industrial engine components. ...
Remy is well known in the performance EV market, and particularly the motorcycle market, for selling motor "cartridges" (the key components of a motor) allowing an OEM to fabricate its own case and mounting, along with any gearing and transmissions for whatever specific application it needs. One of the better known companies that work with Remy is AMRacing, the company that provided the drivetrain for Brammo (at one point), MotoCzysz, Lightning, and a few other very fast bikes they're not really at liberty to discuss. The EV parts supplier, EV West, lists AMRacing motors on their site, describing them as:
... based on the very proven Remy 250-90 cartridge rotor using their HVH technology. (High Voltage Hairpin) This high efficiency permanent magnet motor is housed in a billet aluminum case with an integrated oil pump, and water/glycol heat exchanger. Mainly used in race applications, this motor is designed for long life use, and is perfectly suited for high output daily driving applications.
Here are the important bits:
Weight: 101 lbs. Max Voltage Input: 360 Volts Rated Torque: 280 Lb Ft Peak (w/150kW controller) Rated Power: 210 HP Peak (w/150kW controller) Max RPM: 10,000
From the release:
Remy's President and Chief Executive Officer, Jay Pittas, added, "Our products and capabilities should complement BorgWarner very well and support growing vehicle electrification trends. We are confident our customers and channel partners will benefit from the strategic fit, as it brings together two long-standing industry leaders."
Indeed.
Though the site doesn't go into too much technical detail on the design and construction of the motors, it's not a stretch to see the axial-flux design similarities to the YASA, Emrax and Seimens ultra-high power-to-weight designs we've heard so much about lately - and at this point, only Seimens has the resources to compete at the same level as BorgWarner.
In the meantime, enjoy some motor prOn, courtesy of AMRacing:
