Siemens AG announced that it has agreed to join with Volvo Car Corp. of Volvo AB to advance the technical development of electric cars. The companies plan to jointly develop electrical drive technology, power electronics and charging technology and to integrate it into Volvo C 30 Electric cars. Siemens said the first electric cars fitted with its technology will be on the test tracks by the end of this year.
Beginning in late 2012, Volvo will deliver a test series of up to 200 vehicles to Siemens, which will then be tested and validated under real-life conditions as part of a Siemens’ internal test fleet.
Siemens said its electric motors for Volvo are modular in design and very compact, and have a peak power output of 108 kilowatts with a maximum torque of 220 Newton meters. The inverter design will be jointly optimized to meet all safety requirements in an automotive application, the company added. Siemens will also provide highly efficient and fast on-board and off-board charging systems.
Siegfried Russwurm of Siemens said, "Cooperation with Volvo is an important milestone in the development of top quality components and systems for electric cars subsequently intended for series production. It is our long-term goal to establish Siemens as a global system provider with solutions both inside and outside of electric vehicles."
Siemens added that it is also continuing to work on industrializing the production of hydrogen for fuel cells as part of a comprehensive energy concept for sustainable electric mobility.
