Optimization potential in the production and end-of-life-management of electric drive units to increase resource efficiency

Ihne T, Vogel A, Ockel M, Sprenger M, Hahn R, Baader M, Thielen N, Franke J, Risch F (2026)

Publication Type: Conference contribution

Publication year: 2026

Original Authors: Thorsten Ihne, Alexander Vogel, Manuela Ockel, Mario Sprenger, Roman Hahn, Marcel Baader, Nils Thielen, Jörg Franke, Florian Risch

Pages Range: 1-9

Event location: Karlsruhe

DOI: 10.1109/EPTS67931.2025.11547788

Abstract

The electrification of road traffic enables significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and is therefore a key aspect of the industrial transformation strategy of many industrialized countries. A central component of electric vehicles is the electric traction drive, which is often designed as a functional unit consisting of the motor, a gearbox, and power electronics. The focus of product development for electric drives is particularly motivated by the maximization of energy efficiency during utilization, as this aspect has a major ecological and economic impact over the entire service life of the electric vehicle. However, to further improve ecological and economic sustainability, the entire product life cycle must be considered holistically. This applies to the resource and energy-efficient production of the drive unit and the processing of the end-of-life product by circular economy approaches. In this context, the present paper identifies and discusses optimization potentials regarding the production and the end-of-life-management of electric traction units. The focus here is on the electric motor and the inverter. Both subsystems have a complex manufacturing process chain and may contain critical raw materials. One main aspect that is often neglected in industrial practice is design for recycling or remanufacturing, where there are close interactions between product and process aspects. In this context, the conducted study aims to systematically identify and evaluate complications for component and material recovery using a reference series drive. Based on this, product and process innovations are discussed that allow sustainable and circular production of the drives without affecting the quality-relevant product properties.

Authors with CRIS profile

How to cite

APA:

Ihne, T., Vogel, A., Ockel, M., Sprenger, M., Hahn, R., Baader, M.,... Risch, F. (2025). Optimization potential in the production and end-of-life-management of electric drive units to increase resource efficiency. In Proceedings of the 2025 2nd International Conference on Production Technologies and Systems for E-Mobility (EPTS) (pp. 1-9). Karlsruhe, DE.

MLA:

Ihne, Thorsten, et al. "Optimization potential in the production and end-of-life-management of electric drive units to increase resource efficiency." Proceedings of the 2025 2nd International Conference on Production Technologies and Systems for E-Mobility (EPTS), Karlsruhe 2025. 1-9.

BibTeX: Download