It is very recent the news of the takeover of Santroll Automotive Components, the Chinese player’s eMotor division, by the American BorgWarner. They are steps towards east and towards electrification: Santroll is in fact focused on electric drive units, also for buses, with advanced technologies such as high-density electric windings of hairpin type and synchronous variable reluctance motors with very high performances. Santroll supplies its patented technology to the Chinese OEM market.
With nearly 400 full-time employees, Santroll brings manufacturing equipment design capabilities and proven automation expertise that have allowed it to secure business relationships with many leading customers in China. The hairpin winding type is already used also by BorgWarner for its HVH 320 electric motor, intended for equipping the commercial vehicles, its first electric step.
The takeover announcement was diffused last April 1st, after one month and a half of works. «We are pleased to accomplish Santroll takeover and to welcome in BorgWarner the talented Santroll employees in China», are the words by Frédéric Lissalde, President and CEO of BorgWarner, company with a history of 130 years, that today are accelerating the world’s transition to eMobility.
BorgWarner’s more and more electric direction
Electric vehicles are growing
The sixth edition of the document “Sustainable mobility and electric vehicles” has been released by Repower, Group operating in the energy and sustainable mobility sector. The paper outlines the sector state-of-the-art on a world scale: for the second year, is growing the number of electrified vehicles (BEV, that is to say full electric, and PHEV, plug in hybrid) registered: in 2021, BEV and PHEV rose from 59,900 to 136,854 new registrations, scoring +128.2% versus 2020. BEV (Battery electric vehicle) with 67,542 registered units in 2021, have more than doubled (+107% in 2021, compared to 32,500 units registered in 2020). Concerning PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), with 69,312units registered, they reach the +152.7% growth versus 27,433 units in 2020. Although percentage numbers are encouraging, at absolute level Italy ranks sixth in Europe with 1.14 full electric vehicles every 1000 inhabitants. Different matter for the two-wheeled world: Italy is the first Country by number of bicycles exported to Europe, with the e-bike world that has quintupled sales in the last five years: in 2020 they sold over 280,000 units, sold unit record, amounting to +44% versus 2019, 14% of the total released on the Italian market.
Fabio Bocchiola, AD Repower Italia, declared: «The energy transition is the element that characterizes the sixth edition of the document a theme that is unveiling itself in its complexity and in its large-scale implications, also the least positive ones. The deep inter-dependence among sectors that were very distant until few years ago clearly emerges in this market context, confirming how national and regional energy policies produce effects in very different markets, for instance in the automotive sector, in the technological one and, besides, in the agricultural ambit. Another fundamental item of this work is the analysis of sustainable mobility prospects, of its many declinations and of the technologies that drive it».
“Green” components: zero-impact Schaeffler Group
Starting from 2040,Schaeffler Group’s environmental footprint will be null. It is a target to be applied to the whole supply chain, strengthened by the ambitious medium-term goals. The internal production will feature zero environmental impact already starting from 2030, with the company’s significant progresses already during the examined period.
Since 2021, for instance, Schaeffler has purchased the whole electricity for its manufacturing sites from renewable sources. «As part of its successful programme for the energy efficiency, starting from 2022 an overall saving of about 47 gigawatts hour will be reached, approximately the equivalent of the yearly energy consumptions of 15,000 families composed by two people in Germany» stated Corinna Schittenhelm, Chief Human Resources Officer.
In this course, highly strategic is the collaboration with the Swedish start-up H2greensteel, which starting from 2025 will supply Schaeffler with the zero-carbon emission steel, due to a yearly hydrogen production of 100,000 tons.
Schaeffler Group is working for innovative solutions to its customers in sectors such as the electric mobility, the production of regenerative energy or the production and use of hydrogen. The commitment addresses also the manufacturing of its products with the lowest possible environmental impact.
Schaeffler Group has improved its EcoVadis sustainability rating reaching 75 points out of 100, gaining also the Platinum status. Furthermore, to enhance its global commitment towards the sustainable development, it goes on joining the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact.
Schaeffler Group’s sustainability report provides detailed information on focus issues defined by the company in 2020 and on how Schaeffler Group has developed versus important indicators and targets.
However, not only environment: the social responsibility, together with the climatic protection, has the utmost priority for Schaeffler, with unceasing improvements in the field of health and safety: its limestone is the target of reducing the injury rate by about 10% within 2024, goal actually already overcome in 2021 due to the implementation of specific provisions.
Weg expands the production of large electric motors in Europe
WEG has announced the construction of a new electric motor factory in Santo Tirso, Portugal. The company intends to invest 23.5 million euros to build 22.600 m² of manufacturing facilities on the same area where WEG already has a 16,300 m² low voltage industrial motor factory. This investment will allow a strategic production capacity increase for the European market.
WEG´s plan with the new unit is to expand the production of large electric motors and transfer its factory located in Maia to Santo Tirso, centralizing all operations in a single manufacturing site.
Alberto Kuba, Managing Director of WEG Motors – Industrial Business Unit, said: «We are not only making investments to increase production capacity, but also improving our operations in Portugal. In addition to moving the production of medium and high voltage, explosion-proof motors, electrical panels, automation solutions and service support to Santo Tirso, we are also planning to increase electrical motors range for larger sizes in the country».
The new factory in Santo Tirso should start operating in the first quarter of 2024 and will allow creation of around 100 new jobs.
Porsche Engineering stakes on Salento Technical Center
Porsche Engineering will invest 80 million Euros in the next 4 years, for the enhancement of the “Technical center” at Nardò, in Lecce province (Italy), to make it a world excellence centre on software and hardware tests for the smart driving of future machines.
Michele Emiliano, president of Puglia Region, declared: «It was a phantastic work meeting with Porsche and with this big company that manages the centre at Nardò. We are working together at its sustainable development to allow tests on the cars of the future. The commitment by Porsche, in particular with the introduction of these new technologies connected with testing, will aid us in overcoming the problems that the automotive industry is living in Puglia, and Porsche is our partner in this process».
As enthusiastic the witness, as response, by Michael Steiner, Research and Development Manager and member of Porsche AG board: «We thank Puglia Region for the attention paid to our test programmes about the car of the future. We have discussed about the possibility of displacing to Puglia the tests about the electric mobility, connectivity, software and automated guide. We have great programmes to look ahead together».
The growing numbers of the electric market
The preliminary data by the German analyst Matthias Schmidt leave no doubt: over one fifth of new cars sold in Europe in 2021 are 100% electric.
It is a turning point in the European automotive market, a historical surpass that takes 20% of the market as an estimate factor. In December, in fact, electric cars have exceeded it, whereas diesel vehicles have not reached it.
In December, Europe was protagonist of the record of 176,000 new electric cars registered, amounting to a 6% growth compared to the same period of the previous year. The general crisis of automotive has especially hindered the sales of traditional models that at the end of 2021 stopped at 160,000.
The great race of General Motors towards electric
The top player in Detroit has recently announced a record investment worth 6.6 billion dollars in Michigan to enhance the production of electric vehicles, of which 2.6 billions to build a factory for electric batteries, in joint venture with LG Energy Solution. The target would be increasing the yearly production capacity to one million vehicles within 2025.
«This significant investment -said Mary Barra, GM Chair and CEO – demonstrates our commitment to strengthen our Michigan and U.S. manufacturing presence and grow good-paying jobs. We will have the products, the battery cell capacity and the vehicle assembly capacity to be the EV leader by mid-decade».
Young-Soo Kwon, CEO of LG Energy Solution said: «With a shared vision, GM and LG Energy Solution pioneered the EV sector by seizing new opportunities in the market well before anyone else did. Our third battery manufacturing plant, fittingly located in America’s automotive heartland, will serve as a gateway to charge thousands and later millions of EVs in the future».
The mission of GM on the market is surpassing Tesla as the best-seller brand of electric cars in the United States by the half of the decade.
The current situation? Gm sold less than 25,000 electric vehicles last year, ranking third in the United States behind Tesla and Ford.
Electric doubling for Audi
At the end of the year, Audi takes stock and very proudly announced that in 2021 the brand has doubled the BEV models in the range and that, in 2022-2026, 37 billion investments in research and development, estates and factories are foreseen.
Out of them, 18 billions are intended for the offer electrification and hybridization. The way is therefore clear and connected with the issue of the recharge infrastructure, with an acceleration of the network expansion and installation of the first Audi charging hub in Nurnberg.
Starting from 2026, Audi will introduce just new full-electric models on the global market, whereas the production of thermal motors will end by 2033.
The latest introductions of electric models concern Granturismo Audi e-tron GT quattro and Audi RS e-from GT and the compact SUV Audi Q4 e-tron and Audi Q4 Sportback e-from. Within 2025, Audi will rely on over 20 purely electric models.
«Within 2030, Audi aims at offering a real electric ecosystem to the customers of BEV vehicles. The Vorsprung 2030 plan – explained Markus Duesmann, CEO of Audi AG – will allow the brand to face and to win the challenges of the future. The changes inside the civil society are following one another at a dizzying pace: for this reason, we are accelerating our transformation».
A good partnership to boost electrification in the marine sector
The two protagonists that have already collaborated in the past are Volvo Penta and Danfoss’ Editron division: they have signed a partnership agreement that will drive the transformation towards sustainable power solutions within the marine industry.
By leveraging their combined strengths, the two companies will work to optimize offerings to provide electromobility solutions for the marine industry. By cooperating on research and development activities, Volvo Penta and Danfoss’ Editron division will rapidly deliver robust, reliable, and efficient electrification packages to a broader part of the marine commercial market.
By working together from the design phase right through to installation, commissioning, and aftermarket support, the desire is to secure a totally seamless experience of the delivery of vessels. This joint approach – from sales to aftermarket – will make things easier for customers, operators, and yards in the future.
«We’re excited – said Kimmo Rauma, vice president of Danfoss’ Editron division – to officially join forces with Volvo Penta. Ultimately, we want to create a sustainable solution and find the ideal fit for the market. The marine sector urgently requires zero-emission solutions that offer ultimate manoeuvrability, precision, and comfort capable of operating in robust commercial marine environments. Together, the two companies have the winning combination of skills and technology to create unique solutions and drive sustainability in the industries they operate in».
A partnership in the name of the e-axle
Some months after its establishment, the joint venture Marelli and Punch Motive International is giving its fruits: the assignment of the first relevant contract for the production of e-axles (electrified axles) by an important car manufacturer on a global scale.
The production start of this system, which will be developed, tested and produced by Marelli Electric Powertrain Strasbourg, is expected for 2024.
The joint venture, where Marelli is the major shareholder, combines the proven expertise of the two partner companies to develop and to assemble “e-axle” systems, integrated and optimized for BEV or Plug-in Hybrid vehicles for Europe and Americas. The achievement of this first relevant contract since the establishment of the JV has represented the market acknowledgment of its advanced technological skills.
The e-axle system will be compatible with the most severe requisites of functional safety, as the ASIL-D, and it will be one of the most compact, efficient and performing market solutions. Another relevant feature will be the capability of assuring optimal driveability to BEV vehicles through functions such as the active torque vectoring, which confers more agility to driving.
Hannes Prenn, President of the Vehicle Electrification Division of Marelli, declared: “This joint venture was created to allow controlling a further area in the ambit of the portfolio of the Vehicle Electrification Division of Marelli. Winning a contract of this relevance few months after the creation of the JV perfectly demonstrates the logic at the base of its establishment. The focus on the e-axles dedicated to full electric systems is a key element in the strategy of Marelli Vehicle Electrification. Such element, together with our consolidated expertise in the ambit of electric motors and of the thermal management, defines a complete approach that permits the efficient control of the energy flow in current and future vehicles”.