BorgWarner to supply EV and hybrid drives to China

BorgWarner has announced it is to supply its electric and hybrid drivetrains to three Chinese automotive players, among them Great Wall and its EV brand ORA. The other two OEMs have not been named so far yet overall the deal is huge for BorgWarner. 

But first to what is certain: BorgWarner’s contract with Great Wall of China. The state-owned company wants to utilise Borgwarner’s electric drive module eDM for their upcoming C30 electric vehicle. It will then be the first new energy vehicle in China to use the drive.

The eDM provides primary or secondary propulsion for either pure electric or hybrid vehicles and delivers up to 315 Nm of torque. This means it can be used in different vehicles and Great Wall said they may also equip cars of their brand ORA with the BorgWarner system at a later date.

Accordingly, BorgWarner President Dr. Stefan Demmerle said they “anticipate flourishing growth in China’s EV market amid the electrification trend of the broader auto industry.”

This statement is supported by the second announcement to come from BorgWarner. They are to supply the P2 drive module and electro-hydraulic control unit for hybrid vehicles to two major Chinese automotive manufacturers that remain unnamed.

The P2 unit is a transmission system that can be bolted onto any internal combustion engine (ICE) and allows the vehicle to switch between ICE, electric and hybrid power according to the power demands required. By placing the electric motor directly between the internal combustion engine and the transmission, the P2 system can be compatible with various architectures, and thus caters for all sorts of hybrid vehicles.

Frédéric Lissalde, President and CEO, BorgWarner explains: “Our in-house development expertise and extensive hybrid product portfolio provides us with the flexibility to offer customers a wide variety of solutions customized to fit their individual needs.”

Such flexibility will be needed in a market pushed to electrification. Late last year the Chinese government announced their new EV sales quota that large car manufacturers must meet in order to be allowed to sell cars in China. To that extent these three contracts BorgWarner has won enables the companies in question to meet their legal mandates.

borgwarner.com (P2), borgwarner.com (eDM)

Edit: Nora Manthey