Valeo and Michelin Partner To Make All-Electric and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Cars
Automotive-components supplier Valeo announced today that it's partnered with tire maker and fellow French company Michelin to develop and produce all-electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars.
The announcement comes less than three months after Michelin said its revolutionary Active Wheel technology, featuring dual electric motors mounted inside wheels that not only propel a car but also control the suspension, will be implemented in electric vehicles produced by French automaker Heuliez starting in 2010.
"We will develop a powertrain system and the car will be built around it," Valeo CEO Thierry Morin said this morning.
Morin said the companies hope to build a "French champion" in the electric-car sector. The companies are seeking an automaker to join a consortium that will build vehicles around Michelin's Active Wheel technology.
"We may team up with a French firm or it may be a Germany company," Morin said during a press conference after announcing the company's 2008 financial results. "What's really interesting is the know-how Michelin has developed."
Paris-based Valeo is one the world's top auto suppliers and Michelin, of Clermont-Ferrand in central France, is a leading tire maker.
Michelin's Active Wheel technology is a standard wheel that houses a pair of electric motors. One of the motors spins the wheel, while the other acts as an active suspension system to improve comfort.
Michelin says battery or fuel cell-powered Active Wheel cars will not need a gearbox, clutch, transmission shift, universal joint or antiroll bar.
With Michelin providing key elements of the powertrain and tires, Valeo will concentrate on engine and battery cooling systems, climate control, lighting and energy management.
Valeo specializes in electrical systems, engine management and climate control, and was a key supplier of the drivetrain for more than 10,000 first-generation EVs developed by PSA Peugeot Citroen and Renault.
- Posted by
- Scott Doggett February 13, 2009, 9:39 AM
- Permalink
- Categories:
- Emissions, Fuel Economy, Michelin, Plug-ins and Electric, Tires, Valeo
- Technorati Tags:
- Active Wheel, Electric Car, Electric Vehicle, EV, Michelin, Plug-in Hybrid Electric, Valeo
It all depends on a good and efficient set of tires and wheels for your vehicle for the engine to be in good working order. This applies to all cars.
Please Visit : http://www.clicktire.com/