Fukuta has marched from manufacturing industrial motors into the realm of EV powertrain systems under the leadership of its founder and GM, Mr. Gordon Chang. Focusing on green energy, environmental protection, and energy saving, the eco-loving company has now proven to be a valuable tech partner for the US and Japanese automakers. While future carmakers all covet to possess the “trio electronics” of EVs, Fukuta strives to self-develop and become a first-tier system supplier for international carmakers. In my opinion, the road won’t be long. The turning point will arrive as soon as 2025.
As chips are to EVs’ brains, software their souls, and batteries their physical capabilities, motors are supposed to be their beating hearts. Regarding EVs without engines, motors play a crucial part in the “trio electronics.” Due to Fukuta’s endeavors venturing into the supply chains of international EV brands, the Auto Future editorial team came to Fukuta’s new factory in Miaoli Tongluo Science Industrial Park on Sep. 1st to visit General Manager Chang for his experience and prospect on the technological advancements of motors and powertrain systems.
Mr. Gordon Chang, the founder and general manager of Fukuta (Left) had an inverview with Jeff Lee (Middle) and Seven Tseng (Right), editors of AutoFuture.
Based in Taichung, Fukuta has been mainly manufacturing industrial motors since 1988. As for frequency converters and servo motors, the manufacturer had always been Taiwan’s technological superiority. Since the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ referral in 2005, Fukuta has been a long-term technical collaborator and components supplier with the US EV giant T. According to Chang, there are three key differences in technical standards between the early industrial motor and their mass-produced EV counterparts…
Weight control. Power density is a primary indicator in EV motor tech. Brand T’s requirement of a 180kw motor weighting under 60kg is a daunting challenge even for industrial-motor-savvy Fukuta, for the company needs to reduce the motor’s weight from 400kg to 60kg, nearly a seventh of the original one.
Product reliability. Car components’ reliability standards are significantly higher than their industrial counterparts, which increased their testing and verification time period notably.
Cost control. Fukuta had reduced the initial estimated cost of a single motor from 220k to 60k TWD.
After three years of strict development and testing, Fukuta has finally become Brand T’s most experienced and capable partner. Fukuta’s two new factories in Miaoli Tongluo Science Industrial Park are now fully supplying Brand T’s EV motor demands in assembly lines worldwide. Additionally, the manufacturer’s hundred-person R&D team is working on becoming an ODM supplier of integrated powertrain systems. Since four years ago, Chang has been collaborating with a Japanese carmaker on an ODM-level development of 7-in-1 powertrain system integrations. The PHEV model employs a serial-type powertrain system, which means that the engine is only responsible for generating electricity while the motors take care of pushing the car forward.
Its motors, generator, gearbox, differential, inverter, converter, and related components go into an integrated and compact design in considering of volume, weight, and cost. As for the most crucial part, the motors, Fukuta proposed an axial flux design (the same type used in Mercedes AMG’s future EVs); as opposed to radial flux motors, axial flux motors are high-performance type that can produce a torque up to 200Nm while weighing only three kilograms and powering 17kw. This brand-new EV powertrain system will start its mass production before the end of this year and will likely pave a smooth way for this Japanese carmaker to enter the era of EVs.
Moreover, GM Chang had several professional remarks on permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) and induction (asynchronous) motors commonly seen in EV specs:
In short, PMSM’s higher pricing doesn’t mean it’s better but is instead more suitable for low-speed traffic in the city due to its low power loss and lighter weight. What hikes their pricing are the rare-earth metals in the permanent magnets, which Sumitomo claims most of their patent tech. As for induction motors, their power accelerates faster and top speed are higher, and there would be no degaussing problem under higher temperatures, unlike PMSMs. Currently, many EV sports models featuring two or more motors utilize various motor types (for example, PMSM for the front axle and induction motor for the rear axle).
Aside from Fukuta’s exceptional track record and technological prowess in EV powertrain systems, the most-advanced motor manufacturer in Taiwan also has extensive partnership experience or business operation in the fields of electric buses, boats, scooters, and R&D units such as ARTC. Besides future cooperation with the US and Japanese carmakers in broader and profounder scope, Chairman Chang’s highly experimental and courageous business attitude even from his background in the traditional motor industry would lead the company to pursue higher technology level and better sales performance in the new-tech era of car industry.
