Sustainability Aspects of Current Market Developments, Different Product Types and Innovative Manufacturing Processes of Electric Motors

Abstract

There are numerous levers and constraints affecting the sustainability of electric motors. While previous work mostly focuses on individual energy and resource efficiency potentials within single phases of the motor’s lifecycle, this paper summarizes sustainability aspects from three different perspectives, namely from the market, product and process view. The first part of this paper analyzes the electric motor market to emphasize the significance of this industry and to outline the importance of state-regulated efficiency classes. The second part provides an overview of the range of electric motor types and their sustainability characteristics. The third part contains an analysis of manufacturing processes in terms of energy and resource efficiency by pointing out appropriate key figures and optimization approaches. In doing so, the connection of the three perspectives market, product and processes offers a holistic view on sustainability aspects of electric motors.