Inspired by nature, specifically the wings of an owl — one of the quietest birds — the fan’s design was optimized using artificial intelligence. This permits the fan to reduce noise by up to 4dBA, according to Mahle. The reduced noise addresses a challenge in electric mobility, particularly in noise-sensitive environments such as residential areas and service stations during vehicle charging.
In addition to noise reduction, the fan is 10% more efficient and 10% lighter than traditional designs. It runs on a power range of 300W to 35kW, making it suitable for use in both small electric passenger cars and large fuel cell trucks. The first prototypes are currently being tested by various vehicle manufacturers.
Dr Uli Christian Blessing, head of development thermal management at Mahle, explained, “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.”
In addition to the bionic fan, Mahle will also debut its new evaporative cooling system for fuel cell vehicles at IAA Transportation 2024. The company will also present its power cell unit (H2-PCU) for hydrogen engines, designed to ensure reliable operation of climate-neutral drives.
“With this new product, Mahle continues to pave the way for the electrification of mobility – and contributes to making it more attractive for customers,” Blessing added.