Bicester’s Transense Technologies secures new development project

By Sam Pither

4 May 2023

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Bicester-based specialist sensor systems developer Transense Technologies plc has secured a new development project with a tier one automotive electric propulsion systems business.

Together, the two companies will look into the application of Transense’s SAW senor technology in the new customer’s electric motor drive or eDrive systems, measuring the output torque of its electric motor and the ability for the SAW sensor technology to be used in control of the system.

SAW stands for surface acoustic wave, and is a technology patented by Transense to measure the torque output of an electric motor. Previously, these measurements have been done by analysing the electrical current and voltage going into the motor along with its speed and position, however this method can be imprecise in conditions such as an electric vehicle.

Transense’s SAW technology instead measures the torque, temperature and pressure output of the motor in real time, providing more precise feedback and improving fault diagnostics.

The new development project, to be funded by the unnamed customer, builds on previous work carried out by Transense to understand the possible benefits of applying its technology into the control loop of automotive eDrive systems.

Related to this, Transense has separately commissioned electric motor and transmission development firm Drive System Design Limited to perform a series of simulation studies to improve Transense’s understanding of this application.

Whilst the initial scope of work under this development project is not financially material to Transense, if successful these projects could lead to SAW technology being built into series production eDrive systems, which would be a significant new application of the Company’s technology.

Ryan Maughan, Business Development Director at Transense, commented: “This is the second customer-funded program applying SAW technology in electric motors that Transense has secured in the past 12 months.

“We are seeing a strong market pull for SAW technology in eDrive systems, with several other programs under discussion with major global OEMs and Tier one companies to deliver improved performance, functional safety and efficiency by using SAW torque and temperature sensing technology.”

By Sam Pither

Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset.

A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise.

Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.