Vitesco Technologies has opened a new, 2,800 m2 manufacturing space at its Icheon electronics site making the EMR4 (Electronics Motor Reducer) electric axle drive.
The first parts from the new line will serve to confirm the original sample products’ robustness by testing series parts. This phase will last for around six months during which Hyundai will also integrate new parts from the Icheon line in pre-series vehicles to validate them.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Full series production at Icheon site is scheduled to commence by 2024. The new line has a capacity of over 200,000 EMR4 units per year.
The efficient and compact EMR4 integrates power electronics, electric motor and reducer in a lightweight unit. The unit’s active parts and the power electronics (inverter) will be manufactured locally at Icheon. Roughly a third of the new floor space will be dedicated to stator winding, another third to rotor and inverter production and the remaining third for assembly.
Vitesco Technologies has invested EUR80million in the site extension.
“We are continuing our long standing and successful strategy of manufacturing in the region for the region,” said Thomas Stierle, head of electrification solutions at Vitesco.
The new EMR4 is scalable and suited to provide a single product for complete vehicle platforms and segments.
Over its lifetime the contract for EMR4 delivery has a total value of EUR2bn. The version for Hyundai will be a 400V system with a nominal power of 160kW.
Silicon carbide (SiC) technology in the inverter together with many detail optimisations are giving the EMR4 better efficiency than the already very efficient EMR3 axle drive.
