Bosch and Daimler Sign EV Motor JV, Production starts 2012

Robert Bosch GmbH and Daimler AG have concluded negotiations and signed an agreement for the establishment of a 50:50 joint venture. The aim of the joint venture is to develop and manufacture electric motors. The contract is subject to approval by the responsible antitrust authorities. The new company will operate under the name EM-motive GmbH. It will be headquartered in Hildesheim, where a manufacturing site will also be located. The joint venture’s development site will be located in the Stuttgart area, where both parent companies are headquartered. Some 100 associates will begin working for the joint venture in the fourth quarter of 2011. EM-motive GmbH will be headed by two executives of equal status from each of the parent companies.

The cooperation between Bosch and Daimler in the area of e-mobility aims to pool expertise and utilize synergies to speed up the development of high-quality traction machines for electric vehicles with batteries, fuel cells or range extenders.

Wolf-Henning Scheider, member of the Bosch board of management responsible for the Chassis Systems Control, Electrical Drives, and Starter Motors divisions, said: “This joint venture is an investment into the future of Europe’s automotive industry. It will enable us to expand our portfolio of electric motors for all our customers in an ideal manner. I strongly believe that our common products will shape the future e-mobility market, and that we will quickly reach a high level of market penetration.”

From 2012, the joint venture’s traction machines will be featured in vehicles of the Mercedes-Benz and smart brands. The new generation of the smart fortwo electric drive, which is set to be launched in the spring of 2012, will be the first vehicle to be equipped with EM-motive technologies.

A clear strength of the joint venture's electric motors is their modularity. It will enable Bosch to offer its customers a broad range of motors that are suited to vehicles of different classes, including a range of purely electric vehicles. The motors can be adapted to different performance requirements, and can be fitted in many types of vehicle, including cars, vans, and delivery vehicles.

A special characteristic of the joint venture is that Bosch will be able to sell EM-motive products to third party customers. As a result, Bosch will remain a trusted partner to carmakers in the future. The joint venture will create economies of scale, which will help keep costs down. This will in turn be beneficial to all customers. By 2020, the joint venture expects to produce more than one million electric motors.

Both parent companies will contribute their engineering expertise to develop and manufacture electric traction motors. Carmaker Daimler brings 20 years of experience in the area of e-mobility into the joint venture, particularly in the areas of fuel cell and battery technology. The company has comprehensive expertise with regard to the development and manufacture of electric vehicles.

AMG Lightweight Performance: SLS AMG E-CELL gets carbon-fibre spine

The SLS AMG E-CELL body shell being shown by Mercedes-Benz AMG at the IAA 2011 is one trailblazing outcome of its ambitious "AMG Lightweight Performance" design strategy. Its key element is a transmission tunnel made out of lightweight carbon-fibre composite material (CFRP), which is structurally integrated into the aluminium body shell and firmly bonded with it. The high-strength and stiff CFRP component helps to reduce weight, while also serving as a monocoque housing for the battery modules.

The carbon-fibre battery monocoque in the SLS AMG E-CELL forms an integral part of the body shell and acts as the vehicle's "spine". The advantages of carbon composite materials were specifically exploited by the AMG engineers in its design. These include their high strength, which makes it possible to create extremely rigid structures in terms of torsion and bending, excellent crash performance and low weight. CFRP components are up to 50 percent lighter than comparable steel ones, yet retain the same level of stability.

Compared with aluminium, the weight saving is still around 30 percent, while the material is considerably thinner. The advantages in terms of weight achieved through the carbon-fibre battery monocoque are reflected in the agility of the SLS AMG E-CELL and, in conjunction with the highly innovative wheel-selective four-wheel drive system, ensure true driving enjoyment.

The carbon-fibre battery monocoque is, in addition, conceived as a "zero intrusion cell" in order to meet the very highest expectations in terms of crash safety. It protects the battery modules inside the vehicle from deformation or damage in the event of a crash.