The three winners of the 2024 AJAC Innovation Awards, presented by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), with a range of attributes leading the selections and presenting a host of challenges, and maybe a few opportunities, when these systems hit the aftermarket.

The BMW 5th-Generation Electric Drive System is the winner of this year’s AJAC Best Green Innovation award. On sale in electrified models including the brand-new i5 and 5 Series PHEV, the Gen-5 electric drive system eliminates rare earths from the electric motors and enables many components to be repaired or replaced, reducing service costs.

BMW’s 5th-Generation Electric Drive System uses current-excited synchronous motors, which are noted for their absence of rare earth metals. A current-excited synchronous motor comprises a rotating rotor and a fixed stator. As the magnetic field of the rotor is generated by means of electrical current that flows through several coils, the use of rare earths, such as those needed for permanent magnets, can be omitted altogether with this operating principle.

The system’s eDrive unit was also designed to be vastly more serviceable than previous iterations, which reduces servicing costs and waste parts. The majority of the components of the eDrive unit can now be repaired or replaced independently. The eDrive unit is also smaller and lighter than previous generations, improving its power-to-weight ratio by 30%.

The 5th-Generation Electric Drive System can be found in BMW’s i4, iX, i7 and new i5, as well as BMW’s plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The Volvo EX90 Safety Suite received the award for Best Safety Innovation. Volvo’s long tradition of safety innovation continues in the new EX90 electric SUV, where a high-resolution LiDAR sensor enhances the reliability and performance – including in low light conditions – of the Pilot Assist driver-assistance functions.

The Range Rover Sport SV 6D Dynamics Suspension has been voted Best Technical Innovation. It’s the second straight year that Range Rover has won this award. This year’s winner is an interlinked suspension system that replaces anti-roll bars to improve the 2024 Range Rover Sport SV’s handling, ride comfort and off-road ability. With 8kg weight saving over traditional anti-roll systems, new SV Mode includes a unique calibration for roll stiffness, pitch stiffness, compression and rebound damping as well as lowering the car a further 15mm.

“AJAC is proud to recognize this year’s best new technologies in our Innovation Awards,” said Awards Chair, Graham Heeps.

“Electrification, automation and safety are at the forefront of people’s minds when it comes to future automotive technology, and the judging panel was impressed by the reduced environmental impact of BMW’s electric drive system and by the way that Volvo’s latest Safety Suite reduces the frequency and severity of crashes even further. But Range Rover’s clever suspension system shows that there are still many other ways to improve the vehicles we drive, whatever the powertrain.”

The awards were announced during the opening ceremonies of Elevate, the Vancouver Auto Show.

About the AJAC Innovation Awards

The AJAC Innovation Awards are awarded annually to the best automotive innovations in three categories: Best Green Innovation, Best Safety Innovation and Best Technical Innovation.

The Innovation Awards are conducted by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), a professional association that connects Canada’s best auto journalists and provides consumers with unbiased car buying advice. An expert voting panel of AJAC journalists assesses nominations and compiles a shortlist of finalists, which are then presented in detail to the judges. The jury votes for the new technologies they determine to be the year’s best.

Innovations are assessed according to their consumer benefit and appeal, originality, cost, and likely impact on the market (new technologies often start out in high-end models before becoming available in more affordable vehicles).

For more information, www.canadiancaroftheyear.ca