Volvo has announced it is making massive investments towards designing and developing electric motors in-house for next-generation electrified vehicles. By 2025, Volvo is aiming to achieve 50% BEV share of its total volume. The remaining 50% will be PHEVs and hybrids.
The hope behind the movement towards electrification and the development of in-house electric motors is higher profitability, efficiency, and better optimization. “Bringing the development of electric motors in-house will allow Volvo Cars engineers to further optimise electric motors and the entire electric driveline in new Volvos. This approach will allow engineers to make further gains in terms of energy efficiency and overall performance.”
Volvo released an image that shows a drive unit that integrates an electric motor, inverter, and single-speed transmission:
The Swedish automaker will focus on the electric motors at its new electric motor lab which recently opened in Shanghai, China. The electric motors will be used in fully electric and hybrid cars based on the SPA 2 modular vehicle architecture.
Chief technology officer at Volvo Cars, Henrik Green said about the announcement: “Through in-house design and development, we can fine-tune our e-motors to ever better levels. By constantly improving their overall performance levels in terms of energy efficiency and comfort, we create an electric driving experience that is unique to Volvo.”