Electric drivetrain specialists GKN Automotive has announced a partnership with leading thermal management solutions company, Delta Electronics, to develop and integrate new technologies for its next-generation eDrive system.
The collaboration will see inverters from Delta Electronics employed in the e-motor and gearbox systems of GKN’s integrated 3-in-1 electric drive unit. The partnership will enable the rapid acceleration of next-generation eDrive systems of power classes from 80kW to 155kW.
“The eDrive market continues to accelerate as manufacturers are required to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations demanding technological progression and speed. Our collaboration with Delta represents a significant milestone in the expansion of our portfolio of scalable, integrated 3-in-1 eDrive solutions and our capabilities in rapidly bringing new cost-competitive technologies to market,” said Liam Butterworth, CEO of GKN Automotive.
The new collaboration will center on the development of two new integrated eDrive families for application across different torque classes for the next generation of hybrid and electric vehicles. Within three years, the new 3-in-1 eDrive units will be available for start of production in a multitude of vehicle types, from A-segment city cars to D-segment executive cars and SUVs, supporting a range of torque outputs from 2,000 Nm to 3,800 Nm, with nominal power outputs of between 80kW to 155kW. These solutions will cover a large proportion of the future eDrive market, which is projected to be worth more than £12bn by 2030.
Further aligning the two companies is a shared dedication to systems weight and packaging volume reduction, and a focus on simplifying OEM assembly processes for easier and better-quality component installations. The collaboration between these two industry-leading companies will significantly increase their technical capabilities and accelerate time to market.
