MAHLE Powertrain (MPT) is expanding its portfolio with an intensified focus on emobility and the development of electric cars and their components. Over recent years, the development service provider, who are headquartered in Northampton, UK, has established itself as a strong partner for companies in the automotive and commercial vehicle industries, as well as other sectors.
The company is aiming for further growth in 2021 with a total of €12 million (£10.3 million/$14.2 million) to be invested in the construction of five new testing and development facilities. The MAHLE subsidiary already operates state-of-the-art equipment at locations in the UK, USA, Germany, China, and Brazil, where it develops innovative solutions for its global customers.
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Simon Reader, MAHLE Powertrain’s director of engineering, said: “Our portfolio includes electrification, the development of fuel cells, and solutions to support the use of hydrogen and alternative fuels in smart electrified combustion engines. We want to grow further in this area in particular. We’re in an excellent position to help our customers develop their sustainable mobility solutions.”
MAHLE’s main activities lie in the design, simulation and development of batteries, fuel cells and electric motors. Along with powertrains, transmissions, software, vehicle electronics, and control systems. With such expertise in these fields, MAHLE also aims to increase its focus on the further training and retraining of its employees in these fields in particular.
MAHLE are creating a new battery development centre in Northampton in 2021 to fulfil the next step of its electric powertrain strategy. The new facility will have a dedicated area for the construction of battery modules and three climatic chambers for testing complete battery packs.
The centre will be available from this autumn for battery development and validation as well as for measuring and optimising charging and discharging processes. MPT’s first development unit designed to test batteries under various climatic conditions went into operation in 2019.
The company also operates a new test rig for electric drives in Stuttgart, Germany.
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This equipment is being used to develop and test e-axles and e-drive units for a wide range of electric and hybrid cars and vehicles.
MAHLE will also open a second test chamber at its Real Driving Emissions (RDE) Centre in Northampton, UK this year. The chamber will be ideally suited for the development and validation of electric vehicles under a wide range of climatic conditions and will be equipped with a four-wheel-drive chassis dyno and a battery emulator. It will also have all the safety features needed for testing hydrogen-powered vehicles.
This is great news for the research and development of electric cars and their components. It will lead to improvements in efficiency and help to reduce costs, which will ultimately speed up the adoption of driving electric. It’s also a good example where the world of zero-emissions driving is creating jobs and growing the economy while helping to save the planet.
