08/09/2021 | Press release

Rheinmetall wins order for electric coolant pumps

An international automaker has awarded the Rheinmetall technology group an important order for CWA400 coolant pumps. Worth a figure in the two-digit million-euro range, the transaction marks the extension of an existing contract. Delivery of the pumps, which are earmarked for installation in luxury hybrid vehicles with 2.5-litre four-cylinder engines, is to be complete by 2024. The components were developed by Rheinmetall subsidiary Pierburg Pump Technology GmbH and will be produced at the company's plant in Hartha in Saxony.

Once again, Rheinmetall's wide array of advanced engine components has won the day. In the course of its strategic realignment, the Group has identified electrification as a global megatrend and important growth driver for its business, and thus continues to develop innovative products in this field. The electrification strategy is being pursued first and foremost by the Sensors and Actuators division, which the ongoing development of the company’s electric coolant pumps shows. Suitable for hybrid and standard internal combustion engines alike, they can also be used in battery- and fuel cell-powered vehicles.

In hybrid and electric vehicles, the coolant pumps stabilize the temperature of the batteries and converters as well as the power electronics and electric drive motors. In vehicles powered by fuel cells, the pumps can be used for cooling the fuel cell stacks, making them an innovative auxiliary unit for hydrogen-based mobility.

For the order just issued – based on the automaker's application – Rheinmetall is the sole source for these electric water pumps. Because it operates independently of the engine's mechanical drive system, the CWA400 enables efficient, demand-driven cooling. The pumps deliver exactly the required coolant volume flow, thus reducing the drive unit's fuel consumption. And there are other advantages: it is extremely quiet and can be freely positioned on the engine or chassis.

This wet rotor pump design requires no dynamic sealings and remains free of wear and tear throughout the vehicle's entire lifetime. An integrated bypass flow keeps the integrated electronics cool and enables the pump to operate at water temperatures of up to 130° C at an ambient temperature of 150° C. When the engine is switched off, the pump can maintain the heating function, assuring that the passenger compartment remains comfortable. In addition, when the internal combustion engine is switched off, it continues to cool the turbocharger.