ELECTRIC VEHICLES FEATURE


DRIVING ELECTRIFICATION OF EUROPE’S BUSES


In a major step forward in the electrification of Europe’s public transport networks, BMZ, Horiba Mira and Ziehl-Abegg have teamed up to offer a unique turnkey service for converting existing bus fleets to e-buses


A


s part of its environmental policy to reduce CO2


emissions from public


vehicles, the EU has released a new vehicle directive that mandates the percentage of buses that must be emission-free by 2025 and 2030. It lays out targets for each EU member,


with Germany for example, targeted with having 22.5 per cent of all buses as zero emission, increasing to 32.5 per cent by 2030. This will drive huge demand for the development of new electric buses to meet these targets. In addition, cities including Paris and


Berlin have already committed to higher volumes of electrification at earlier dates than the mandate requires. While the onus has traditionally been on bringing new electrical buses to


market, the role of retrofitting existing buses is not to be overlooked, as it will play in meeting these crucial targets. In order to achieve this, existing bus, owner, operators and manufacturers will need to act now to invest in retrofitting. Bringing together several decades of


combined experience and expertise in the development and integration of electric drives for buses, BMZ, Horiba Mira and Ziehl-Abegg will develop and supply highly efficient, safe and reliable, electric powertrain solutions to electric bus manufacturers, operators and owners, with the option of a complete retrofit service for customers that need it. Powertrain technology company, Ziehl- Abegg, will provide its compact and


efficient electric axle for emission free buses, and battery system manufacturer, BMZ, will provide the latest in battery technology. Horiba Mira, an automotive engineering, verification and validation consultancy, will provide the vehicle control software, manage the integration of the electric drive systems and provide functional safety support to meet ISO26262. Sven Bauer, CEO and founder of the


BMZ Group says: “E-buses are a very fast growing market - almost every major city is currently involved in the electrification of vehicle fleets and this collaboration enables us to deliver a unique turnkey service across Europe.”


BMZ bmz-group.com


Towards an all-electric future


General Motors and LG Chem have announced plans to mass produce battery cells for future battery electric vehicles. Together, the companies will invest up to a total of $2.3bn through a new, equally owned joint venture (JV) company


develop and produce advanced battery technologies, with the goal of reducing battery costs to industry leading levels. GM chairman and CEO, Mary Barra,


says: “Combining our manufacturing expertise with LG Chem’s leading battery cell technology will help accelerate our pursuit of an all-electric future.” In addition to vertically integrating the


T


he JV will establish a battery cell assembly plant on a greenfield


manufacturing site in the Lordstown area of Northeast Ohio, USA, that will create more than 1,100 new jobs. The plant will use the most advanced manufacturing processes all under one


roof to produce cells efficiently, with little waste. The plant will be extremely flexible and able to adapt to ongoing advances in technology and materials. The collaboration also includes a joint


development agreement that brings together two leaders in battery science to


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manufacturing of battery cells in the US, LG Chem will gain access to an experienced workforce. It will also benefit from a dedicated production stream of future EVs from GM’s next generation of battery-electric vehicles, including an all new battery-electric truck coming in the autumn of 2021.


General Motors gm.com ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING | FEBRUARY 2020 31


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