Collaboration is the route many carmakers are resorting to for developing new electric vehicles. Jaguar Land Rover and BMW are the latest ones to join the fray and have announced partnership to develop next-generation electrification technology. Both companies are joining forces to together come up with electrification technology to support the transition to ACES and will be developing next-generation Electric Drive Units (EDUs).
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The BMW i3 was BMW's first all-electric vehicle which was launched in 2013 and the company later introduced the i3S which has a better electric range and performance.Speaking about the new development, Nick Rogers, Jaguar Land Rover Engineering Director said, "The transition to ACES represents the greatest technological shift in the automotive industry in a generation. The pace of change and consumer interest in electrified vehicles is gathering real momentum and it's essential we work across the industry to advance the technologies required to deliver this exciting future. We've proven we can build world-beating electric cars but now we need to scale the technology to support the next generation of Jaguar and Land Rover products. It was clear from discussions with BMW Group that both companies' requirements for next-generation EDUs to support this transition have significant overlap making for a mutually beneficial collaboration."
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The Jaguar I-Pace has bagged three awards at the World Car Awards Of The Year (WCOTY) 2019.According to the new agreement, both companies will be investing together in research & development, engineering and procurement which will provide the necessary economies of scale to support increased consumer adoption of electric vehicles. The EDUs will be manufactured by each partner in their own production facilities. For Jaguar Land Rover this will be at its Wolverhampton-based engine manufacturing centre which was confirmed as the home for the company's global EDU production in January of this year. The process will be complemented by the recently announced battery assembly centre at Hams Hall, near Birmingham. Electrified powertrain systems will be supplied to Jaguar Land Rover's global vehicle plants.
