The EU Ecodesign Directive is here – customers already one step ahead
Energy efficiency with IE5 permanent magnet motors
Our findings indicate that electric motor users and original equipment manufacturers consider energy savings to be an important criterion in choosing motors. For example, we received a delivery of three quite large IE5 permanent magnet motors in August 2021. In addition to the IE3 motors required by the EU Ecodesign Directive, the demand for IE4 and IE5 motors has also increased significantly.
Eco-friendliness required
Large markets for low-emission products are opening up in Europe. Consumers expect the industrial sector to take action against global warming. And industrial buyers, for their part, want evidence from their suppliers that harmful emissions are being reduced. With high-efficiency electric motors, energy savings are also easy to calculate and indicate. So with all this in mind, it’s no wonder there is such demand for better and better motors. In addition to the advantage that eco-friendliness offers to businesses in terms of reputation, it also saves money.
The climate crisis has led to a great deal of wrangling over who needs to reduce their environmentally harmful emissions. Western countries have been the main contributors to global warming, and now developing countries are pursuing the same environmentally unsustainable way of life. So the question is, will those who have contributed most to causing the climate crisis correct their actions, or should it be developing countries that change course? At this stage of the climate crisis, every possible action to keep the level of global warming to 1.5 degrees should be made mandatory.
The debate has also highlighted the heavy reliance in western countries on low-cost production in developing countries. The manufacturing of cheap products and components in those countries is far from being environmentally friendly when it comes to harmful emissions. In addition, large amounts of energy are also consumed in transporting the products to the market area. From a climate-friendly perspective, it would make sense to relocate product manufacturing closer to the markets, provided that energy-efficient production and shorter logistics chains could be ensured.
Many different actions are urgently needed. Our customer base has risen to the challenge very well by demanding increasingly efficient motors (Made in Germany)!
Read about the IE4 and IE5 motor range »
The extended EU regulation (2019/1781) on electric motors and variable-speed drives entered into force on 1 July 2021. As a result, high-efficiency IE3 motors are gaining ground over a wider power range and with different types of motors.
Demand for high-efficiency motors is growing. Pictured (top of page) is a IE5-PS1R 132 MX4 IGR TMP HW permanent magnet motor, one of which was delivered to Savo-Karjalan Sähkökone, a VEM Motors Finland partner.