Koelliker Group is partner of Aeolian Islands Music Fest also for the 2023 edition. With a range made up by strictly green vehicles, Koelliker brings the most important product models and novelties in 2023 to the Islands, such as for instance made in Italy Microlino, the first electric Koelliker-branded scooter and Maxus Mifa 9, the luxury shuttle service with 100% electric design.
Considering the success of last year, Aeolian streets will be coloured also by Wuzheng 3MX, the fully electric three-wheeler that suits any type of arrangement, from agriculture to delivery services and up to the street food.
Maxus eDeliver3, sturdy and reliable strictly full electric commercial vehicle confirms to be the official means of the staff of Aeolian Islands Music Fest. In Marina Corta square, in Lipari, the public of the event and all artists will have the opportunity of admiring from close up other models exclusively distributed by Koelliker: the SUV coupé Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV, Korando by KG Mobility (former SsangYong) and the aCar by Evum Motor, the first commercial electric 4X4 Pick-up.
After Microlino, Koelliker widens the offer of fully made in Italy solutions of urban mobility with the new 100% electric scooter Koelliker powered by Askoll.
Aeolian Islands, suggestive stage of electric mobility thanks to Koelliker Group
Webinar on “Electric motor cooling for automotive applications”, January 31st 2022
The international platform of technical information Electric Motor Engineering and the publishing house Tecniche Nuove, in collaboration with Professor Marco Villani, professor of Electrical Machines Design and Electric Systems for Mobility at the University of L’Aquila, on January 31st 2022, from 10.00 a.m. (CET) to 1 p.m. (CET) organize a webinar on the issue of electric motor cooling in automotive applications.
The technical implications concerning the heat dissipation in electric traction vehicles are manifold. Essentially, the high rotation speed that puts the whole vehicle power-unit to hard test.
Numerous solutions are under study to make vehicles reliable and safe; those to cool the active components of the electric motor are among the most numerous.
The workshop is aimed at highlighting the state-of-the-art from the engineering point of view, involving academic world and industries.
Addressees of these information are all players in automotive induced activities, from OEM, to Tier One and Tier Two suppliers.
The four Topics
Experts coming from the academic and engineering research world, together with suppliers of technologies and solutions, will debate the following topics during the meeting:
• Innovative cooling systems (ex. stator cooling, shaft cooling, end-winding cooling and combinations of more systems)
• «Customized» housings for electric traction motors (also manufactured with 3D printing technologies)
• Sealing systems for the liquid cooling of electric motors
• «Advanced» software for the thermal analysis of electric motors for automotive
The event will take place in live streaming in English, with final possibility of Q&A with our sector experts.
ELECTRIC MOTOR COOLING FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
Online workshop – January 31st 2022
from 10.00 a.m. (CET) to 1 p.m. (CET)
WORKSHOP PROGRAMME
Mechanical seals for electric motors cooling systems
Alessandro Ventura, Corporate Technical Director Meccanotecnica Umbra
Stator housing and Rotor shafts for Electric motors with integrated cooling circuits
Philipp Bucher, Head of Sales LCD LaserCut AG
Advanced software for thermal analysis of electric motors
Giada Venturini, E-Machine Engineer Motor Design Ltd
Husain Adam, Thermal Specialist Engineer Motor Design Ltd
EV/HEV motors Potting: advantages in terms of thermal dissipation
Alberto Menozzi, Plant Manager – Technical Director, Demak Polymers (Demak Group)
In collaboration with
Chinese e-bus wins 2021 Red Dot Award
The Yutong Xiaoyu 2.0 has been awarded the design prize 2021 Red Dot Award. Developed by the Chinese group, the 5.5-meter shuttle bus stands out for being the world’s first autonomous bus recognized by world-class industrial design award, as well as the only bus brand in China winning Red Dot Award.
Xiaoyu 2.0 is an autonomous public transport solution that inspires trust in passengers. In 2020, Yutong sales volume of large and medium-sized buses reached 41,756 units, among them 16,461 units are new energy buses. The bus producer reached sizable sales volume in over 30 countries and regions such as France, UK, Australia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Norway with a market share of over 35% in China and over 13% in the world.
In late November 2020 the producer secured the widest order so far for battery electric buses in the world: 741 e-buses are set to be running in Qatar by 2022 in view of the FIFA World Cup Qatar. They will be deployed by Mowasalat, which ordered in total 1,002 vehicles from Yutong.
The design of the bus has been inspired by spacecraft, precisely by space capsule. The symmetrical design from the front and back has the goal of promoting strong visual identification. Engineering and aesthetic factors are smartly reconciled by excessive size porthole and the mapping of laser radar and lens.
Levc, electric design at the Design Week
During Fuorisalone of the Design Week 2024 in Milan, the attention was focused also on the automotive and mobility world and, thanks to Koelliker, on the professional transport. The Group has decided bringing to Italy the great classic Londoner Cab Taxi by the British automotive company Levc, in the TX. 2017 version. Under the new Chinese Geely ownership, the TX electric cab is bringing sustainable mobility and a design product characterized by the eCity technology that offers 126 km of autonomy. Through the integrated generator that charges the battery while in use, there is a total range of 536 km with electric traction. Created for a universal mobility, TX is fully accessible to disabled people, even in wheelchair, with a direct access ramp that is folded in the floor, quickly unfolded and adjustable, completed by a wide door opening. Levc has also implemented a version for the transport of goods that offers an inner volumetry of 5.5 cubic metres with a maximum loading capacity of 830 kg.
Electric truck, Volta Trucks signs a new agreement with Steyr
Steyr Automotive has revealed the new agreement with Volta Trucks that unveils the recovery of the production of its fully electric truck, Volta Zero. The agreement is fruit of intense negotiations and of a fruitful cooperation between the parties involved, as Steyr explained. «We are extremely satisfied with the signature of the agreement because it represents an important milestone for us for the manufacturing recovery in this crucial sector. Our team is strongly motivated to bring the innovative truck on roads together with our partner Volta Commercial Vehicles», we read in the press release. Volta Zero project has then resurrected and succeeds in it also through the big investor Luxor Capitol, United States fund.
SUV Volvo, the hybrid plug-in is coming
Volvo’s race to zero emissions is going on. Despite the period of stop to alive presentations and to road tests owing to the Coronavirus emergency, the last novelty by the renowned Swedish automotive company is shining with confidence: the SUV in hybrid plug-in version with overall power of 262 HP and autonomy up to 45 km in electric.
Next September lands on the Italian market XC40 Recharge T5 Plug-in Hybrid, the hybrid recharge version of the compact SUV that, since its release in September 2017, has become Volvo’s best- seller in Italy, with over 21,500 units sold until now.
The Recharge T5 Plug-in Hybrid version, like all XC40, springs from Volvo CMA (Compact Modular Architecture) compact platform, conceived to host the technical elements connected with electrification.
– 180 HP 3-cylinder 1.5 litre petrol engine
– 82 HP electric motor
– Maximum cumulative power: 262 HP
– Maximum torque: 425 Nm (265+160 Nm)
– Maximum speed: 180 km/h (self-limited)
– Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 7”3
– Tank capacity: 48 litres
– Consumption (WLTP): 2.0-2.4 l/100 Km
– CO2 emissions (WLTP): 45-55 g/Km
– Battery capacity: 10.7 (8.5) KW nominal (usable)
– Maximum autonomy in electric: 45 Km
The plug-in hybrid version guarantees the ecologic performances of the hybrid recharge technology by Volvo and it is the first car of the brand with serial hybrid: both propulsive elements intervene in fact on the front axle.
A XC40 Recharge T5 Plug-in Hybrid is entrusted with the important task of impressing the decisive boost to the diffusion of the plug-in hybrid Volvo technology in Italy. The target is to make plug-in hybrid variants represent 16% of total sales of XC40 for 2020, an important driving element to allow plug-in hybrid models to totalize 15% of Volvo global sales in Italy.
On a global scale, the target of Volvo Cars for 2020 is that plug-in hybrid cars achieve 20% of total sales.
MECSPE: Digital and energy transition at the heart of the fair
The 22nd edition of MECSPE was attended by 66,906 visitors and more than 2,000 companies. Artificial Intelligence, robotics, cloud computing, training for new skills and energy transition were the main themes of the exhibition to provide new stimuli to the sector.
Manufacturing reconfirms its willingness to grow and open up to innovation and new sustainable frontiers: This is what emerged from the MECSPE, Italy’s leading exhibition dedicated to the manufacturing industry 3-day event, organized by Senaf, now in its 22nd edition and held March 6-8 in Bologna.
2068 firms from all across Italy gathered with 66,906 professionals (+12% compared to 2023) to form synergies and pool skills and information in the context of the fair, which serves as a catalyst for the industry’s national and worldwide growth.
The MECSPE edition focused on a topic that is as timely and of primary importance for the current year as it ever was: the digital and energy transition promoted by MIMIT‘s Transition 5.0 Plan. The plan offers multiple opportunities for companies in the industry, which have the chance to innovate with new technologies and become even more sustainable through the new incentives.
This was precisely one of the key topics of the Exhibition’s inaugural event, which, in the presence of Valentino Valentini, Deputy Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Vincenzo Colla, Councillor for Economic Development and Green Economy, Labor, Training and International Relations of the Emilia-Romagna Region, Massimo Bugani, Councillor for the Digital Agenda of the Municipality of Bologna, Antonio Bruzzone, CEO of BolognaFiere, and Ivo Nardella, President Senaf – Tecniche Nuove Group, highlighted the role of the NRRP and incentives for the development of the sector.
Indeed, the MECSPE Observatory presented during the inaugural event highlighted the importance of 4.0 incentives used by 50 percent [1] of companies for their digitization and innovation development.
These have enabled entrepreneurs to make investments that they otherwise would be unable to make. In fact, the Observatory confirmed that 63 percent of entrepreneurs would not have invested, or would have invested less, without the incentives. Therefore, growth must continue through the new 5.0 measures that put the digital transition alongside the energy transition for a transformation of the industry in an increasingly sustainable direction.
In addition to the inaugural event, this issue was also addressed within the MECSPE LAB – Innovation Space context, which positioned itself as a promoter of technological innovation based on growing social and environmental awareness, taking into account, in particular, energy efficiency and compatible alternatives, in perfect coherence with the goals of Transition 5.0.
«The success of the 22nd edition of MECSPE underscores the fervor and determination of the Italian manufacturing industry to pursue innovation and embrace new challenges. – said Ivo Nardella, president of Senaf and Tecniche Nuove Group -. This edition, which follows more than 20 years of success, saw the participation of more than 66,000 visitors, 18 special initiatives, and 72 conferences, reconfirming MECSPE’s role as a point of reference for the sector and as a driving force for the industry. In fact, the fair allows for the joining of synergies and the transmission of the power of the industry, new ideas, training and information aimed at transforming innovation into concreteness, with a view to evolution toward new horizons of growth and development.»
Thanks to the German-Italian Forum: 2035 and the Automotive Supply Chain, now in its second year, the topic of transition was also addressed in a more international way. This year’s event focused on ways to adapt the automotive supply chain to respond to a technological transformation that takes into account the industry’s new energy challenges.
Second edition also for the Aluminium Energy Summit, organized by Metef, the international trade fair for the aluminum supply chain, which took stock of concrete contributions and technological solutions that the aluminum industry can activate to achieve circular economy and decarbonization goals.
Another priority theme running through the entire fair was training; MECSPE every year strives to bring young talents closer to the world of industry by offering them a platform to engage with companies and institutions.
In particular, the second day of Start-Up Factory, which was dedicated precisely to the future of education, had the honor of hosting Professor Patrizio Bianchi, former Minister of Education of the Italian Republic and Full Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Ferrara, who in his speech recalled the importance of innovating the ways of education in step with the needs of society, while also teaching values oriented not only to the individual but to the community.
Then again, innovation, sustainability, and education, with the development of new talent skills, were the three focuses of the fair, charting new directions for creating the industry of the future. The appointment to return to these issues is again at BolognaFiere with the next edition of MECSPE, at its 23rd edition, March 5-7, 2025.
Facts and figures of MECSPE BOLOGNA 2024
66,906 trade visitors, 92,000 square meters of exhibition space, 2,000 companies, 2,000 square meters of MECSPE LAB – Spazio Innovazione along with 18 special initiatives and 72 conferences.
[1] Manufacturing MECSPE Observatory conducted by GRS Ricerca e Strategia on a sample of 731 Italian manufacturing companies.
Autonomous guided shuttles, the road test begins
04in Turin, the experimentation of autonomous guided shuttles begins. It happens in Italy for the first time and due to the project “Sperimentazione Italia” (Italy experimentation), the regulatory sandbox that allows start-ups, enterprises, universities and research centres to experiment innovative projects through a temporary derogation from the regulations in force.
The authorization was obtained by Gruppo Torinese Trasporti (GTT) and takes place inside the SHOW project, funded by Horizon2020 European Programme, which aims at supporting the transition towards an efficacious and sustainable autonomous guide urban transport.
The experimentation provides for two phases: the first “pre-demo”, March and April 2022, establishes that autonomous guided shuttles circulate without passengers on board.
This first phase will be fundamental to test the vehicle in the real traffic, besides providing for training activities of operators on board.
The second step will start in May 2022 and will last 5 months, when the experimentation phase will be fully entered: shuttles will circulate with passengers on board.
The experimentation will be carried out with two autonomous-guided shuttles, along a course of about 5 km in the area of the hospitals of the City of Health and Science and citizens will have the possibility of booking the free transport service through an app.
FCA and city of Turin to trial automatic switch to electric mode for hybrid cars
On June 3, FCA informed that a collaboration agreement was signed between the Department of Transport, Infrastructure and Mobility of the City of Turin and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to test a system that allow its hybrid plug-in cars to automatically switch to electric-only mode when entering congested city centres.
The project is named “Turin Geofencing Lab” and involves the city authorities and public transport agency GTT (the Operator of public transport companies in Turin), 5T (a city-owned company that manages the ZTL access authorizations) and Centro Ricerche Fiat (the brand’s development center for drive trains, vehicle systems, materials and innovative processes to improve the competitiveness of vehicle models).
The system is based on a prototype system with fully integrated on-board sensors allowing a hybrid vehicle to recognise when it is entering a restricted traffic zone (Zona a Traffico Limitato, ZTL) in the inner city of Turin.
The on-board electronics will then automatically turn off the internal combustion engine and switch to electric mode.
This would allow hybrid cars to enjoy dispensations for electric vehicles in the city centre (the ZTL area), including dedicated parking spaces.
The system has been initially tested on the new Jeep Renegade 4xe hybrid plug-in model. The tests could be extended to the group’s other hybrid models from next year.
The COVID-19 crisis has not significantly delayed FCA’s plans to launch its first full-electric and hybrid models. An electric version of the Fiat 500 small car and plug-in hybrid versions of Jeep’s Renegade and Compass models are due to hit the market this summer.
Roberto Di Stefano, FCA’s Head of EMEA e-Mobility, said: “The Turin Geofencing Lab project represents a great collaboration between the city of Turin, which has to set strict environmental protection rules, and a company like FCA, which must find innovative, affordable solutions for drivers to help improve air quality in our cities. Once this unique pilot project with the city of Turin is completed, we will offer the same technology to other local governments in Italy and abroad.”
Both motor and jet in the same device
Developed by Sealence spa, DeepSpeed in an innovative electric thruster where jet and electric motor are integrated in the same device, permitting the installation of the whole propulsion out of the hull, directly exposed to the water flow.
The outboard installation allows increasing the space and the comfort onboard and implementing a series of fluid-dynamic innovations, inspired by the aeronautical industry, which allow reaching a much higher efficiency curve than standard motors solutions based on inboard propeller or waterjet.
The target of DeepSpeed technology is accompanying the energy transition of the whole naval sector, thanks to the powertrain that can be full electric or hybrid. Moreover, a SmartBox is available, able to control and to manage all energy flows of the components and of the jets installed on board.
Currently, jets are installed on two laboratory hulls, on boats by partner shipbuilding yards in the range 12–24 metres. Starting from Spring 2022, they will also equip a passenger transport ship featuring 24 metres and 160 pax by Lauro Company, operating in the Gulf of Naples in the Napoli-Ischia-Procida route.