Powertrain
EV battery supply chains on the move
As electric vehicles become serious business for OEMs, they are reassessing their battery supply and manufacturing bases, putting their eggs in multiple baskets and taking more control of the process.
VW and Ford invest in flexible production for an uncertain future
The speed of change in the technology of cars and rapid electrification requires new manufacturing equipment and is making expensive old machines redundant, but exactly where the industry is going next is hard to predict. More flexible manufacturing is the answer.
Watch: Automotive suppliers charging ahead – Electrifying Production Series (Pt.1)
In the first part of our Electrifying Production Livestream series, AMS explores how vehicle electrification is changing major tier-1 suppliers’ manufacturing engineering and design, plant equipment and manufacturing strategies. Featuring experts from automotive suppliers and production specialists including Gestamp and ZF, Henkel and ABB.
Ford Dagenham to continue supplying engines for Transit vans made in Turkey
Ford has decided to keep its last European diesel engine plant in Dagenham, UK, open to supply the Turkish Ford Otosan plant in Kocaeli that builds the Transit and Transit Custom.
All systems go at Schaeffler
E-mobility is increasingly changing Schaeffler from a component manufacturer to a full-system supplier. Matthias Zink, CEO of the company’s Automotive Technologies division, talks to Ralf Bretting and Pascal Nagel about how the supplier is preparing for the powertrain mix of the future and why the discussion about electrification could do with more honesty
VW to have 240 GWh of battery plants in Europe by 2030
Volkswagen Group plans to significantly increase battery cell production capacity and reshape the EV battery supply chain in Europe, with plans to have six ‘gigafactories’ by the end of the decade – including an expansion of its partnership with Sweden’s Northvolt.
Powertrain to the people
As the automotive industry rapidly electrifies, powertrain suppliers have to adapt, but Illya Verpraet finds out that ZF is on board with the transition, enjoying more freedom in both engineering and manufacturing
AI and automation in automotive production need people and quality data to succeed
Experts from BMW, Ford, Symbio Robotics and Cosmo Tech discussed how artificial intelligence (AI) and automation in automotive production need fast ramp-up times and adoption by employees to succeed. High-quality data and use of simulation are also key.
Christian Friedl takes over as director of Seat Martorell
Christian Friedl is moving from Porsche to become director of Seat’s Martorell plant in Spain, starting from January 1. He replaces Rainer Fessel, who is moving to take over the management of the VW factory in Wolfsburg.
Sustainability at the core of leadership at Scania and ArcelorMittal
At last week’s inaugural AMS livestream, Scania’s Mathias Wijkström was joined by ArcelorMittal’s Hugo Da Gama Campos to discuss making automotive production greener and how it is vital to put sustainability at the heart of the production system.
Scania to build battery plant and research centre in Sweden
Scania is building a lithium battery assembly facility at its plant in Södertälje, Sweden to support production of a range of electric trucks and buses. The cells will be supplied by Northvolt in Sweden but battery module assembly onsite will overcome the dangers and cost associated with the inbound delivery of finished modules
EV battery recycling: cost and components
What happens to EV batteries at the end of the vehicle’s life? Mike Farish reports on recycling and reuse options
Stable growth post-Covid will depend on greater supplier collaboration
At last week’s Livestream Hour Joe McCabe, CEO and president of AutoForecast Solutions, said 2021 was going to be a recovery year in global vehicle production and that continued recovery to 2027 would be based on greater stability. A more globally integratred supply chain, thanks in part to revision of Trump policy following last week’s election, and provide opportunities for tier suppliers, who are getting more involved complex subassembly
Volvo to design and develop electric motors in-house
The OEM has opened a new electric motor lab in Shanghai, China in addition to ongoing e-motor development in Gothenburg, Sweden, and state-of-the-art battery labs in China and Sweden
GM invests $4 billion to prepare Spring Hill and Detroit-Hamtramck plants for EV production
General Motors is moving forward with investments to equip its factories to produce electric vehicles (EVs). The Spring Hill, Tennessee plant gets a $2 billion upgrade to produce the Cadillac Lyriq and the and Detroit-Hamtramck plant will see $2.2 billion invested to produce the recently unveiled GMC Hummer EV.
Hethel site upgrades to support Lotus Engineering consultancy
This latest investment includes an all-new Electric Drive Unit (EDU) test cell, plus upgrades to other engineering facilities and workshops
Equipmake launches electric motors for off-highway vehicles
The company is offering its APM electric motors for off-highway vehicles and construction equipment applications, in response to greater demand to minimise emissions and noise from construction sites
Mahle and Ballard to cooperate on fuel cell development
The goal is to develop and industrialise fuel cell systems for commercial vehicles of various weight classes, with a focus on the needs of the European, North American and Asian markets
Skoda adds plasma coating line at Mladá Boleslav
The process provides a low-friction, plasma coating for the cylinders on Skoda’s new EA211-series 1.0 TSI petrol engines
Porsche and partners explore power and efficiency benefits of 3D-printed pistons
Mahle and Trumpf join Porsche on a project to develop additive manufacturing processes for high-load drive components