Automotive parts manufacturer MAHLE has launched a new research and development centre in Valencia, Spain, focused on developing power electronics and software solutions.
Products such as electric drive systems and auxiliary components, charge management systems, or heating and cooling systems—will be developed in Valencia by a staff of around 250.
Testing new systems meet industry standards will also be a focus of the centre.
In a statement celebrating the launch, the company said: ‘The powertrain of the future is a system consisting of interconnected hardware and software that communicates and interacts intelligently within the vehicle. As a pioneer of future mobility solutions, MAHLE is therefore continuously expanding its activities in the area of electronics, with the company’s new research and development centre in Valencia representing a significant element of this approach.’
‘As a creator of new and climate-friendly mobility solutions, we believe that the ongoing development of e-mobility is crucial. With our new research and development centre, we’re strengthening our competence in the area of power electronics and consistently working toward our goal of becoming a holistic systems supplier in this field,’ explained Dr. Jörg Stratmann, chairman of the management board and CEO of the MAHLE Group.
MAHLE has combined its activities relating to electric drives, actuators and auxiliaries, as well as control and power electronics in the Mechatronics division, which creates products used in passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and off-highway vehicles.
The company is also pursuing a dual strategy for its future – further optimising the combustion engine, while developing solutions for the widespread adoption of e-mobility.
In 2017, the group generated sales of approximately €12.8bn. It has about 78,000 employees and is represented in more than 30 countries with 170 production locations.
Picture: Wilhelm Emperhoff (5 from left), member of the MAHLE Management Board and responsible for the Mechatronics Division, opened the new R&D Center for Electronics in the presence of visitors from politics & science
