ABT Sportsline, a performance tuner for VW Group vehicles, has announced a collaboration with Schaeffler to electrify light commercial vehicles.
As part of a project to electrify LCVs from VW, ABT has already been commissioned to produce the e-Caddy and e-Transporter models and will work with Schaeffler for further project management.
Efforts to reduce vehicle emissions in urban areas are focusing heavily on light commercial vehicles, particularly where intra-urban traffic is concerned. What is more, manufacturers have to fulfill the regulatory upper limits for emissions in the light commercial vehicles segment separately – it is not possible to offset emission values against those of passenger car fleets. The performance capability of today’s electric motors can now largely fulfill the typical requirement profiles for light commercial vehicles used in intra-urban applications.
The objective of the collaboration between the Schaeffler Group and ABT e-Line is to develop more advanced electric powertrains and to integrate and incorporate them into vehicles, focusing on light commercial and special vehicles. A further objective is to develop flexible mechatronic chassis solutions.
The Schaeffler Group, which has been working with the ABT Group since 2014 in Formula E, will contribute its technological and management expertise to the partnership and will develop and supply technological solutions for the electric powertrain. In the initial phase, Schaeffler will be focusing together with VW and ABT on project management – from concept through to homologation – and on system supplier management.
“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. 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,” said Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler AG.
