NEI Looking To Tap Electric Vehicles With Next-Gen Bearing

Avishek Banerjee Feb 18, 2020

National Engineering Industries Ltd (NEI), which is into design and development of vehicles run on combustion engines, is now drawing a blueprint to cater extensively to electric vehicles. The Jaipur-based firm has already kickstarted the process by introducing EMB series bearings for EV electric motor applications. It is also offering hybrid and insulated bearings for higher capacity electric motor to prevent damage from current leakage. Another product on offer for EVs which the company is betting big on is ‘Sensor Bearings’.

Interacting exclusively with BW Businessworld, Rohit Saboo, President & CEO NEI stated, “The number of bearings in an EV will nearly halve from currently 35 (nos.) to 20 (nos.). However, we sense opportunities there and are ready for the future requirement of EVs. EVs are a different deployment where the requirement is of high RPM bearings wherein the (electric) current should not pass through it. It should be insulated and should be able to accommodate very high power. We have already developed those bearings and are supplying to one Indian and one European major. So we are already prepared for that.” However, he also maintained that for every customer there is a different set of design specifications and that can be a slight challenge.

The CK Birla Group-owned entity, which currently manufactures bearings in about 1,500 different sizes ranging from 6mm to 2,000mm Outer Diameter has already introduced low friction and high running accuracy bearings which will help automotive manufacturers in meeting BS-VI emission norms.

Talking about the upcoming BS-VI emission norms, Saboo maintained, “As far as bearings are concerned, the key requirement for BS-VI is lesser emissions (from vehicles). Besides other things, they (OEMs) have to reduce the weight of the vehicle, which in turn has to reduce the envelope in which the bearings get fitted. So we have developed some special bearings which though being smaller can take a higher load. So we have incorporated new material change (as well as) heat treatment and worked on new design variants, which we have already started supplying to most of the companies.”

Meanwhile, NEI has also announced that it will be investing Rs. 350 crore over the next few years out of which Rs. 100 crore would be deployed towards manufacturing of various forms of needle bearings solutions- shell bearings, weld cage roller assembly and turned cage roller assembly. It has already launched those products as a part of its comprehensive range of bearings at Auto Expo Components 2020 in New Delhi. Last month, NEI, through its wholly-owned European subsidiary acquired Slovakia-based Kinex bearings.