Mahle opened a new research and development center in November at its location in Valencia, Spain. Eventually around 250 employees will work on developing new products and solutions for sustainable mobility at this competence center for vehicle electronics.
A major supplier to the automotive industry, Mahle in 2017 unveiled its first look at a highly efficient EV drive system with integrated electronics. The Mahle IPM (Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor) traction drive is designed to be an extremely efficient combination of a synchronous motor with permanent magnets and integrated 48- volt electronics. The motor provides maximum efficiency and dynamics in a wide speed range. To begin with, a demonstrator vehicle was equipped with the drive unit consisting of two motors each with 14 kW of mechanical continuous output and 36 Nm of torque. The next evolutionary stage was to advance to 20 kW and 80 Nm per motor. The motors drive the rear wheels via a central transmission.
Electronic systems are becoming increasingly important in modern vehicles, the company notes. The powertrain of the future is a system consisting of interconnected hardware and software that communicates and interacts intelligently within the vehicle. As a leading developer of future mobility solutions, Mahle is continuously expanding its activities in the area of electronics, with the new center in Valencia representing a significant element of this approach.
Wilhelm Emperhoff, head of Mahle Mechatronics is fifth from the left
As a creator of new and climate-friendly mobility solutions, we believe that the ongoing development of e-mobility is crucial. With our new research and development center, were strengthening our competence in the area of power electronics and consistently working toward our goal of becoming a holistic systems supplier in this field, explained Dr. Jrg Stratmann, CEO.
In the future, power electronics and software solutions for products such as electric drive systems and auxiliary components, charge management systems, or heating and cooling system will be developed in Valencia. Another area of focus will be the validation of systems in accordance with the standards of the automotive industry.
Now the company has combined its activities relating to electric drives, actuators and auxiliaries, as well as control and power electronics in the Mechatronics division. These products are used in passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and off-highway vehicles. The division is headed by Wilhelm Emperhoff.
In 2017, the group generated sales of approximately EUR 12.8 billion with about 78,000 employees and is represented in more than 30 countries with 170 production locations. At 16 major research and development centers in Germany, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Spain, Slovenia, the USA, Brazil, Japan, China, and India, around 6,100 Mahle development engineers and technicians are working on innovative solutions for the mobility of the future.
For more information, visit: https://www.mahle.com
