Success Story BMW Startup Garage and DeepDrive
The BMW Startup Garage and the Munich-based company DeepDrive are set to road-test a revolutionary electric motor. The concept features dual rotor technology and is expected to enable super-efficient, powerful drives that offer plenty of range. After a successful pilot project with promising results on the test rig, the BMW Group and DeepDrive are now planning their first field test. Various versions of the new drive will be installed into BMW Group models and their handling tested out on the road.
DeepDrive’s innovative concept more or less melds two electric motors into a single unit, creating an extremely compact drive that’s energy-efficient and has a high torque density. In a conventional electric motor, the stator moves either an internal or an external rotor; with DeepDrive’s dual rotor concept, the stator drives both rotors simultaneously. The compact design and light weight of the unit allow for an in-wheel drive system, in which each wheel hub has its own electric motor. The technology can also be used in a traditional, centralised drive system, where a central motor block powers the vehicle.
DeepDrive’s innovative concept more or less melds two electric motors into a single unit, creating an extremely compact drive that’s energy-efficient and has a high torque density. In a conventional electric motor, the stator moves either an internal or an external rotor; with DeepDrive’s dual rotor concept, the stator drives both rotors simultaneously. The compact design and light weight of the unit allow for an in-wheel drive system, in which each wheel hub has its own electric motor. The technology can also be used in a traditional, centralised drive system, where a central motor block powers the vehicle.
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MotorTranscript
00:00From a combustion engine to an electric motor, it's quite a challenge.
00:13There are millions of ways to build electric motors.
00:19We have found one that is extremely torque-dense, extremely efficient.
00:31My name is Jochen Huber.
00:33I am an employee in research at BMW.
00:37I have spent my entire professional life with new technologies.
00:42That's why I always had the idea to go to DAA and to screen what is on the market.
00:48I am Felix, a founder and managing director of Deep Drive.
00:51We have developed an engine that is designed for the large series, for high volumes,
00:56and at the same time is the most efficient on the market.
00:58I noticed the wheel drive and that DAA and Deep Drive are working on this topic.
01:05The first big milestone was the IAA, the International Automobile Exhibition here in Munich.
01:10There were always interesting people coming by.
01:14One of them was Jochen from BMW, who found it super exciting.
01:18We had an incredibly good exchange.
01:20That was the first core with which we started together.
01:24For us, the BMW Startup Garage was a very early start,
01:29because it helped us to understand the processes in the complex jungle of a large corporation.
01:36What are the processes? What are the people we have to talk to?
01:42The BMW Startup Garage offers us an excellent opportunity to get in touch with these startups.
01:47And we continue to work with the best startups, including Deep Drive.
01:51We have a cooperation project, and we are also planning to check their good technology for BMW applications,
01:57so that the potential for us really arrives in the series.
02:00Virtually everyone we talked to at BMW is open-minded.
02:04This can be seen in the BMW Startup Garage and in the programs.
02:07This can be seen in BMW Adventures.
02:09BMW has understood, I have to invest in startups, but it has to be a completely independent investor.
02:14Otherwise, this construct will not work.
02:16Otherwise, this startup company will not grow.
02:18If it binds too early to just one partner,
02:21this cooperation on very different levels has shown us that BMW is a pioneer.
02:30The most important feature is the efficiency, i.e. electric range for a customer.
02:35It is known that this is a topic for e-mobility.
02:39These values were exceeded and this in the first measurement without iterations.
02:45And then, of course, it was a knock on the door for us that BMW actually said,
02:50hey, we trust your results, we can test the project on your control room.
02:54Most of the time, their technology and their sample parts have exceeded what they announced.
02:59And that is actually unusual in such a first phase with a completely new technology.
03:05For us, the last one and a half, two years have been absolute madness.
03:09It really went up steeply, where BMW were the first to look at Deep Drive.
03:14Many have now moved on.
03:16We have intensified our cooperation.
03:18We are currently working together with eight of the ten largest automotive manufacturers in the world.
03:21In the future, if all the criteria are met,
03:25it is possible to save 100 to 150 kilos of weight.
03:30You will get a much higher electric range.
03:34And the vehicle can also become a little more expensive.
03:40The next big milestone for us is to get into the first series
03:43and we are looking forward to achieving this in the next year and a half.
03:46Startups are important to us because they show us new perspectives with unconventional out-of-the-box thinking,
03:52which also make it much faster for us to bring innovations into the cars.