Schaeffler & Abt e-line join up on commercial EVs
Schaeffler and Abt e-Line have agreed on strategic cooperation for the electrification of light commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tons. Abt e-Line is the premium partner of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles for the full electrification of LCVs.
Schaeffler will contribute management expertise to the partnership and develop and provide technological solutions for all aspects of the electric drive train.
In an initial phase, the focus will be on project management from concept to homologation and on system supplier management together with VW and Abt, among others. Later, the supplier will also contribute its “relevant know-how in the areas of purchasing, production and quality assurance” to the cooperation.
This is not the first partnership between the two companies: The subsidiary Schaeffler Engineering is already developing control electronics for Abt e-Line. Besides, the supplier and Abt have been working together since 2014 in Formula E (now the Audi Sport factory team). “Following on from our trusting and successful partnership with the ABT Group in Formula E, we have now decided to work together in tackling the challenges of commercial vehicle electrification,” says Schaeffler CEO Klaus Rosenfeld. “The combination of Abt’s entrepreneurial approach and Schaeffler’s understanding of systems and in-depth expertise in the field of powertrain and chassis applications puts us in a perfect position to create something new and to move forward even faster.”
“The collaboration with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles that we started one-and-a-half years ago is an ambitious project for ABT, and I am proud of the fact that we will soon be seeing the first electrified ABT vehicles on the road,” says Hans-Jürgen Abt, Managing Partner of Abt Sportsline GmbH. “Having Schaeffler as a strategic partner and thus having its technological expertise on board means we have a strong partnership to tackle the challenges of electrification.”
One of the first vehicles for VWN is the Abt e-Caddy, which has recently become available for order. Deliveries of the leased vehicles to customers are expected to start in the first quarter of 2020. The basic vehicle will come from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, the electrical peripherals and the conversion will be carried out by Abt e-Line.
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