In addition to the major car manufacturers, suppliers also research and develop the electrical future. The Austrian-Canadian group Magna, third largest in the industry, has now presented a kit for the electric drive. Car companies can use it if they want to bring electric cars to the market. A frozen lake in Sweden near the Arctic Circle serves as a kind of contact exchange.
In winter, Babylon is on the Arctic Circle, high up in the Swedish part of Lapland. The good 2.000 locals are in the minority in their small town Arjeplog. In the bar of the largest hotel, Munich and London footballers compete in the Champions League on a large flat screen. German cheers, English curses, French blasphemy and Japanese neutral comments. The car testers are here, the snow-covered parking lot is like a catwalk with the mannequins from BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Land Rover. Kia or Toyota. Some are disfigured by pasted camouflage, others have long been well known. At least as far as the tinny shell is concerned.
But not only the major manufacturers will be moving to Europe's far north from November to repeatedly question the stability of their cars on frozen lakes and to try out new technologies safely. Even large suppliers such as Bosch, ZF or Conti send engineers, technicians and test drivers, along with the innovations hidden in prototypes, to the Swedish ice. Because the huge, sparsely populated area is also a sales exchange, experience fair and competition venue for the best ideas about cars. Magna, number 3 in the global ranking of the largest supplier groups, also meets its customers in and around Arjeplog. And even has something special to offer this winter: a brand-neutral modular system with two electric motors.
Anton Mayer, Vice President of the Magna Department for Drive Technology and International Development Manager in the Austrian-Canadian group, stands next to an SUV that is easily recognizable as Jaguar I-Pace, defying the brisk wind with a thick wool hat and a wide scarf, which reduces the outside temperature by minus 18 degrees looks even more icy. Still, there is a happy smile on his frost-reddened face. "Our schedule is full," he reports, referring to test drives by experts from the major auto companies with the prototype called "e4" in a Jaguar costume.
Of course, Mayer adheres to the unwritten industry law of confidentiality, which customers have tested the new car or who has perhaps already struck. However, he reveals that in addition to the premium brands, he also had the large volume manufacturers on board. VW, Peugeot or maybe Renault? The Austrian smiles and remains silent, but then lets the cat out of the bag. Magna presents its ideas for the next generation of the electric car.
So a new Jaguar I-Pace. "Of course not," says Anton Mayer. "The I-Pace only serves as a test vehicle for the drive unit that we have newly developed." An obvious choice, since Magna already produces the electric series SUV in the Graz factory on behalf of the English, as does its E-Pace counterpart with a classic combustion engine. "So since we know the car well, the I-Pace has almost imposed itself on our plans," says Mayer and quickly adds: "By the way, Jaguar agreed".
Product manager Simon Kaimer goes from the passenger seat to technical details. The Magna system consists of two electric motors, each of which is responsible for one axis. Each has an output of 180 kW / 245 hp. The rear engine has a so-called "torque vectoring" function. When cornering, the drive power is electronically metered to both rear wheels in such a way that the dreaded rear breakout can be largely prevented. The new Audi E-Tron S has a similar system, but uses the two on the rear axle in addition to the front engine. Magna only needs one rear engine, but can also do without a differential thanks to intelligent clutches.
The engine duo uses new technologies that increase efficiency. According to Magna, the efficiency reaches almost 90 percent. That means: 90 percent of the energy provided by the 373 kW battery is also used for the drive. In this discipline, a modern gasoline engine can only do 40 percent in the best case, a diesel a little more. The motors are only part of the overall Magna package. In addition, there is a battery with less cobalt and improved electronic control, lightweight construction and forward-looking navigation systems that adapt the energy requirements of the car to the terrain or the traffic situation with artificial intelligence. The Magna technicians have not yet revealed the exact details of all measures.
The bottom line is that the entire system should increase the range of the electric car by a good 25 percent. A current car with a standard range of 470 kilometers could then be around 120 kilometers longer before it has to dock with the next charging station. According to the plan, the first production cars will hit the streets around 2025, under whatever brand logo. The future group customers can only order parts of the package. For example, for a plug-in hybrid with an electric motor at the rear, the front axle of which is supplied by a classic combustion engine. It is also possible to do without the “torque vectoring” mentioned, which would make a future series model cheaper.
Then, however, the price-conscious customers of tomorrow would have to forego the fun that this technology brings with it, especially on the smooth ice of the Pipudden lake near Arjeplog. Uninhibited drifting with sideways snowdrifts created by slipping wheels, wild slalom dancing around rubber hats with only a small steering deflection or with the electronic helpers switched off, the 540-degree pirouette. Too bad: In the hit list of the advantages of the electrical age, these wonderful silliness are of course behind.