Schaeffler’s sustainable mobility solutions

Once known primarily as a supplier of bearings, Schaeffler has repositioned itself as a motion technology company, offering a full portfolio designed to advance vehicle and equipment mobility. While its capabilities extend to both on- and off-highway applications, at Bauma 2025 last month, it focused specifically on products to enhance sustainability in construction equipment.

The heavy-duty e-motor series consists of three variants with maximum outputs of 125, 299 and 315 kW. (Photo: Schaeffler)

“We thought how can we as a supplier support our customers in becoming more sustainable? And we saw two major ways. The first is the way of electrification – be it the central e-motor as the traction drive or for powering work functions,” said Simon Wienröder, business development, Offroad, Schaeffler Technologies.

The company also showed electromechanical actuators, which Wienröder described as “a fully electrified equivalent or alternative to standard classic hydraulics with additional advantages, like energy recuperation.”

“The high efficiency precision makes them perfect for fully electric operation and also for automated or autonomous operation,” he added.

Heavy-duty e-motors

For  construction equipment, Schaeffler supplies a range of electric drives with a continuous output of 1 to 300 kW. At the megaevent in Munich, Schaeffler presented high-performance, heavy-duty electric motors “as a volume production-ready solution for electric-only and hybrid drive systems.”

According to the company, the e-motors feature high torques, a power-to-weight ratio (peak) of around 5 to 7 kW/kg and maximum efficiencies of more than 97% in a speed range of 3,000 to 8,000 rpm. The modular motor series consists of three variants with maximum outputs of 125, 299 and 315 kW, with the only difference being the length of the active parts. With an overall length of 151, 206 and 261 mm and a uniform outer diameter of around 239 mm (laminated core diameter) or 280 mm (including screw connection), the motors require minimal installation space, Schaeffler stated.

Schaeffler demonstrated a complete e-axle with integrated heavy-duty e-motor. (Photo: Becky Schultz)

Schaeffler also demonstrated a complete electric axle with integrated heavy-duty e-motor. “We offer the systems inside the e-axle, with our focus being the heavy-duty motors that we have in the scalable e-motor family,” Wienröder explained. “That ranges from 110 to 220 kW, and those are oil cooled and have the revolutionary wave winding coil technology, which allows them to have a very high power density.”

Such enhanced power density means a smaller installation space for maximum power output, which Wienröder said helps construction OEMs build wheel loaders and other equipment without substantial modifications.

Reducing friction

The second way in which Schaeffler saw potential to support sustainability for OEM customers was through increasing the efficiency of existing power systems.

Schaeffler offers a full line bearings for the off-highway market, including X-life low-friction bearings. (Photo: Becky Schultz)

“Construction machinery in the foreseeable future will not go completely fully electric. We will have the diesel engine, we will have combustion engines,” Wienröder projected. “So, we thought how can we make those more efficient and therefore more sustainable? And that is [through] the Schaeffler bread and butter business of bearings.”

Friction-reduced bearings can directly impact the emissions that a machine produces, he continued. “The less friction you have in a gearbox, in an axle, the less power is needed from the engine to actually create motion, therefore less emissions.”

Roller bearings are already low friction. However, Schaeffler said its X-life bearings – which are designed and manufactured to provide more uniform surface quality and contact surfaces – allow for an additional increase in energy efficiency and load capacity.

For example, Schaeffler engineers calculated that by replacing the standard bearings on the hydraulic pump and two hydraulic motors of a 140-kW wheel loader with X-life components and low-friction cylindrical and tapered roller bearings, it can reduce the loader’s power demand to 131 kW. With a fleet of 1,000 comparable wheel loaders running normal operating hours, this could save up to 16,000 metric tons of CO2 per year.

“Optimizing the hydraulic system in 1,000 wheel loaders saves the annual emissions of 4,000 compact passenger cars,” Wienröder added.