How Do Manufacturers Minimize Magnetic Field Exposure in Electric and Hybrid Cars

We celebrate the environmental efficiency of electric and hybrid cars but something else is creeping in: magnetic field exposure.

There are various strategies that manufacturers adopt to combat this, but not all of them are equally successful. Now let’s simplify it a little and see how car manufacturers address this.

Traditional Methods of Reducing Magnetic Fields

Manufacturers have been using traditional techniques to control magnetic fields inside cars for several years now. These techniques work in some sense, but they are often associated with compromises (more on that later):

1. Shielding

Shielding works as though one were wearing sunglasses to obstruct sunlight – it absorbs magnetic fields or dilutes them with specially formulated materials. In cars, for example, manufacturers enclose cables or batteries with insulation. It does help, but shielding is expensive and could cause the car to become heavier, which would decrease its performance.

2. Improved Cable Routing

This involves putting the car’s wiring in such a way that they diminish the magnetic fields they emit. Consider how you might shuffle wires around to avoid unnecessary confusion or inconvenience. In a similar vein, the cables are precisely set up by engineers to avoid drawing powerful magnetic fields in the seats of passengers.

3. Grounding and Bonding

Grounding is an exercise in allowing unwelcome electricity a place to go, such as a drainpipe that prevents water from pooling. Grounding effectively eliminates unwanted magnetic fields. Bonding, however, links components of the car’s electric system together to make it all run smoothly without stray magnetic fields.

4. Design Adjustments

Sometimes engineers move high-field objects (batteries and motors) into spaces where people wouldn’t be in danger. Exposure can be mitigated, for instance, by placing these components under the hood or elsewhere far from seating areas.

The Trade-Offs of Traditional Methods

Added Weight

Standard methods, such as shielding, generally require the application of heavy materials to eliminate or suppress magnetic fields. That extra weight can hurt the car’s performance and decrease its efficiency and range — particularly important for EVs.

Increased Cost

Integration of traditional magnetic field reduction processes may significantly increase manufacturing cost. Superior shielding materials, precise cable paths, and advanced grounding techniques cost a fortune to create and install.

Those higher expenses typically translate into more expensive cars for consumers, which can make these types of EVs and hybrids less affordable to budget-conscious consumers.

Design Complexity

Design changes – from changing electrical parts or routing cables – create an additional layer of complexity in car manufacturing. In designing the cars, engineers need to balance magnetic field absorption against the ability to drive and keep vehicle interior volume and appearance intact.

Advanced Methods: The Game-Changer

The conventional methods are a start, but they don’t always cancel magnetic fields out. This is where more sophisticated techniques are more effective. The technology for active cancellation is one that could prove promising.

What Is Active Cancellation?

Consider active cancellation as noise-cancelling headphones. These headphones employ microphones to pick up the sound from the surroundings and create the opposing sound waves to cancel it out. For magnetic fields, active cancellation does the same thing. It senses unwanted magnetic fields in the vehicle, and generates counteracting fields to neutralize them.

It has been used in automobiles by a firm called SafeFields Technologies. In contrast to conventional approaches, active cancellation can significantly minimize magnetic fields without making them heavy and complex. This is like getting to the root of the issue rather than masking it.

The Promise of Advanced Solutions

Traditional techniques have limitations when it comes to minimizing magnetic field exposure, but emerging technologies such as active cancellation offer a potential solution.

With the progress of this technology, electric and hybrid vehicles will become even safer for drivers and passengers alike, so that these sustainable vehicles carry no unseen hazards.