German firm's temperature prediction tech for motor boosts EV range

German automotive supplier ZF has developed an AI-based temperature prediction technology, TempAI, that significantly improves the accuracy of electric motor temperature forecasts by over 15 percent. This advancement enables more precise thermal management, allowing electric vehicles (EVs) to extract up to 6 percent more peak power and achieve verifiable efficiency gains during standardized WLTP driving cycles. The technology also reduces energy consumption by 6 to 18 percent under dynamic driving conditions, such as on demanding tracks like the Nürburgring Nordschleife. TempAI operates without requiring additional hardware, relying solely on AI models that use existing control units with low computational demands, making it cost-effective and ready for series production in ZF’s new generation of electric motors. The AI platform automatically generates physically based models from extensive measurement data, capturing complex internal motor processes that are otherwise difficult or costly to measure directly. Beyond performance benefits, TempAI contributes ecological advantages by enabling optimized thermal designs that reduce the use of heavy rare earth materials and short