TM4 Partners with Tata Motors and Miljø in Tata Indica EV Project

Tm4 has been selected to be partners with Tata and its subsidiary Miljø Innovasjon to provide the company with electric motors, power electronic and vehicle controllers for a demonstration which will showcase their new electric car. The demonstration will be launched in Norway 2009-2010.

Electrovaya will be providing Li-ion batteries for this demonstration. Electrovaya is associated with Tata motors and Miljø Grenland/Innovasjon in producing batteries for their electric car using the Li-ion super polymer technology.

Miljø targets to manufacture around 100 units of the all-electric Tata Indica Vista.

TM4’s latest generation of motors for the automobile industry, the TM4 M?TIVE series will prove to be a huge boon to Tata and Miljø. The TM4 motors use an inverted rotor topology for maximum torque density.

The inverted rotor topology motors produces larger magnetic field in comparison to the rotor centric permanent magnet motors. The additional radius provides higher torque and power density and leads to better efficiency.

M?120 permanent magnet brushless motor from the TM?tive series is optimized to have high over torque capacity. With greater density output the new design allows for high and continuous efficiency over a large range of speeds.

The M?120 offers maximum power of 120 kW, with 37 kW continuous, and 170 Nm peak torque, with 60 Nm continuous. It weighs 26 kg, and has a maximum 4.6 kW/kg power-to-weight ratio. The motor offers 96% efficiency at normal speed.

The new Indica EV can carry 4 people with a top speed of 200 kmph and reaching 0-60 in 10 seconds.

The Electric traction system, first designed for SVE’s Cleanova by TM4 in 2003 is an integrated traction system combining an electric motor and a generator coupled to an internal combustion engine (ICE). This unique traction system uses a clutch system that reconfigures a high torque series vehicle to a hybrid series.

Tata Motors’ UK subsidiary, Tata Motors European Technical Centre plc, acquired a 50.3% stake in Miljø for NOK 12 million (US$1.9 million).