MAHLE has presented world’s first nature-modeled bionic high-performance fan aimed at making commercial vehicles significantly quieter. When optimizing its ventilation blades with the use of AI, MAHLE engineers took inspiration from the wings of an owl: one of the quietest birds in the world, whose plumage has a noise-reducing effect. The bionic fan blades can reduce the fan noise of a truck by up to 4 dB(A), which is equal to more than halving the sound output. This significant reduction solves another challenge for e-mobility: loud fan noise, which can be disturbing both at full load as well as when charging the vehicle at night, whether in residential areas or during resting times at service stations. The fan is also significantly more efficient than conventional designs, thanks to 10 percent better performance and a 10 percent lighter design. MAHLE also enables the use of its new bionic fan in passenger cars. The company is presenting the product to the public for the first time at the IAA Transportation 2024 in Hanover from September 17–22, 2024.
The design of the fan blades was modeled on owl wings and feathers. This minimizes noise turbulence and makes the fan much more quiet and efficient. It is particularly in noise-sensitive areas that the new bionic high-performance fan shows its strength. During fast charging of vehicles, for example, reduced noise levels increase comfort for drivers and area residents alike. MAHLE offers the fan in a broad power range from 300 watts to 35 kW. This enables its use in small electric passenger cars all the way through to large, particularly temperature-sensitive fuel cell trucks. The first prototypes are already being trialed by various passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturers.
To save even more weight, MAHLE also developed the fan cover and carrier in accordance with bionic principles. As a result, both components are more than 10 percent lighter, and have increased structural integrity.
“We learn from nature: It inspires us in many areas! We have already seen success with our bionic battery cooling plate, a technology which helped us significantly while optimizing our fan. With the help of AI, we analyzed the characteristic features of bats, swordfish, and many other inspirations from nature. We finally ended up with the owl, the silent hunter, as the main template for our new fan.”
Dr. Uli Christian Blessing, Head of Development Thermal Management at MAHLE
