Working on ‘Smart Mobility’ with TU/e and HAN

Driven by the major societal challenges when it comes to ‘smart mobility’, Punch Powertrain actively collaborates with the Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e) and the university college Arnhem (HAN) Automotive. The intense cooperation of both partners with the R&D locations in Eindhoven and Sint-Truiden strives to result in new advanced technological powertrain systems.

Cooperation with the TU/e

The automotive market is developing at a fast pace. Considering the transition to durable energy sources, the strong diversification of (partly) electric powertrains (PHEV, EV) to autonomously driving vehicles in the long term, Punch Powertrain and the TU/e are working on innovative multidisciplinary system engineering methods and tools which are based on an integrated system approach.

Important parts of this system approach are ‘computational design synthesis’ and ‘machine learning’ techniques. This renders the opportunity, to develop newly optimised powertrain systems in an automated way.

In our multidisciplinary team we are working together on a number of subprojects on different system levels.  This method has already resulted in insights in the mathematical coupling between the variable speed gear unit geometries, the CVT dynamic switching response and optimum on-demand actuation design. This is the foundation for future CVT co-design.

HAN Automotive

For a few years now, HAN students have found their way to Eindhoven or Sint-Truiden to work in a challenging internship or at a Masters assignment. Recently, a HAN employee has started to work at Punch Powertrain one day a week.

Working on ‘Smart Mobility’ with TU/e and HAN

The eye catcher is Punch Powertrain’s investment in the HAN’s ‘Pluto’ test rig. Hybrid as well as electric powertrains can be tested on this modular test setup. For the next 6 months, 6 students which study ‘Powertrains’ and 3 international interns will work on this test setup. They will be performing measurements of the ET2-300, Twinspeed and the EP2 powertrain to compare the yields of transmission and electromotor. Finally, the students will propose small design changes to the transmissions, after which they will develop and experimentally validate them – all in close collaboration with the co-workers in Eindhoven.

Driven by the major societal challenges when it comes to ‘smart mobility’, Punch Powertrain actively collaborates with the Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e) and the university college Arnhem (HAN) Automotive. The intense cooperation of both partners with the R&D locations in Eindhoven and Sint-Truiden strives to result in new advanced technological powertrain systems.