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Schaeffler has begun volume production of its rear-wheel steering system at its Kysuce, Slovakia plant for a German automaker. This system is part of Schaeffler’s “Generate Motion” product family and targets both passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.

The rear-wheel steering system is now being produced for seven vehicle models across Europe, China and North America. Schaeffler reports that it has received three additional customer nominations for this system by 2027, with a total of six nominations lined up.

The system features a planetary roller gear, and a power pack that integrates electronics, an electric motor and software. The planetary roller gear is designed to convert the electric motor’s rotary motion into steering movement for the push rod with low friction and high efficiency. An integrated inductive displacement sensor and an in-house developed power pack are integrated within the system.

Schaeffler says that the system improves driving agility in turns while enhancing vehicle stability and safety at high speeds. The compact design allows a smaller turning radius for improved maneuverability, especially useful in tight spaces or during parking.

Following the merger with Vitesco Technologies, Schaeffler notes increased vertical integration as a key differentiator, citing gains in electronics and sensor expertise.

“The expertise gained in electronics and sensor technology as well as the greater real net output ratio due to additional components shortens development cycles and strengthens our system expertise,” said Clément Feltz, Head of Chassis Systems at Schaeffler. “Compared with its competitors, Schaeffler’s rear-wheel steering system offers a unique technological selling point thanks to the planetary roller gear, which converts the rotary motion of the electric motor to the steering motions of the push rod with low friction and very high efficiency.”

Source: Schaeffler

Designwerk Technologies has reported a significant milestone: its fastest-ever megawatt EV charging session, exceeding 1.1 megawatts during a July 2025 demonstration in Oberbüren, Switzerland. The trial, conducted as part of a project supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, showed Designwerk’s Megawatt Charging System (MCS) in operation under real-world depot conditions. Designwerk says typical charging levels for this applistion have been around 350 kW.

In final tests, Designwerk’s MCS ramped up charging power to a peak of 1.14 MW, which is eight percent above the initiative’s target value of 1.05 MW. The test setup involved a Designwerk prototype e-truck built on an 800 V platform with a 1,000 kWh battery—implemented as four 250 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion packs. Charging from 10 to 80 percent state of charge took 42 minutes, transferring 625 kWhs with an average power of 906 kW, which Designwerk describes as the highest continuous charging rate to date for the application. The test also recorded a peak charging current of 1,530 A. According to Designwerk, the fast-charging cycle enables a 40-tonne electric truck to achieve a 500-kilometer range, with charging sessions conveniently fitting into legally required driver breaks.

Designwerk’s MCS is built as a flexible, containerized solution with integrated lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt battery buffers. These allow for peak-shaving to reduce grid impact, use of local renewable energy, and the integration of second-life batteries from decommissioned commercial vehicles. The approach is intended to eliminate the need for grid expansion at depots. Designwerk says the system serves as a fully mobile, all-in-one solution for off-grid or fast-deployment needs in electric truck fleets and heavy-duty electric vehicle applications.

“Thanks to mega charging, a 40-tonne HGV can now charge as quickly as an electric car – only with significantly more power,” said Niels Ross, Project Manager for Charging Technology at Designwerk. “This is the key to electrifying heavy-duty transport.”

The pilot involved Designwerk, pilot fleet operator Galliker Transport, GEVI (operational piloting site), and research partners Bern University of Applied Sciences and Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences. 

Source: Designwerk

Software provider Monolith has partnered with UK-based e-powertrain development and testing services provider CamMotive to provide engineers with the tools to run more efficient, insightful, and scalable battery tests.

Bringing together Monolith’s software platform and CamMotive’s real-world battery data, the collaboration is expected to enhance test data validation, helping engineers detect complex failure characteristics during EV battery development.

The partnership is implementing a hybrid modelling technique for anomaly detection in the battery testing process. This combines physics-based simulations and machine learning methods to identify issues that may not be detected by traditional rule-based detection systems.

Building on Monolith’s deployments in laboratory environments, CamMotive is providing operational test data to evaluate how these models can achieve greater accuracy and insights across real-world scenarios. CamMotive is exploring the integration of an AI toolkit to reduce reliance on physical testing and streamline workflows, using the Monolith platform to support earlier fault detection and smarter testing reviews. Simultaneously, the depth and detail of CamMotive’s battery data set will serve to further enhance Monolith’s battery-model performance.

Monolith’s objective is to cut engineers’ product development cycle in half by 2026. Its platform gives domain experts the power to leverage existing, valuable testing datasets for their product development. The platform analyses and learns from this information, using it to generate accurate, reliable predictions that enable engineering teams to reduce costly, time-intensive prototype testing programs.

“Our partnership with CamMotive has the potential to make EV battery development faster and more efficient. Training machine learning models with robust, real-world data means engineers can find reliable ways to save time, achieve performance gains and reduce costs,” said Richard Ahlfeld, Monolith’s founder and CEO.

Source: Monolith

Watch this webinar to learn why a new generation of 80 V and 100 V automotive MOSFETs is needed, the applications in which MOSFETs are used, and the benefits realized with Infineon’s latest power semiconductor technology, OptiMOS 7.

Key Takeaways:

• The many applications using 80 V and 100 V MOSFETs in Automobiles, Light Electric (2 / 3 wheelers), Commercial and Agricultural Vehicles, and growing: DC-DC converters, motor control, power distribution, battery management, traction inverters, LED Lighting
• The trend to 48-Volt automotive architectures is driven by higher power needs, system cost savings and E/E architecture changes
• Why both 80 V and 100 V MOSFETs are used for 48-Volt applications
• How OptiMOS 7 helps bring important benefits like lower conduction losses, superior switching performance, increased ruggedness and high reliability

Register now—it’s free!

See the complete session list for the Virtual Conference on EV Engineering here.

Broadcast live from September 15 to 18, 2025, the conference content will encompass the entire EV engineering supply chain and ecosystem, including motor and power electronics design and manufacturing, cell development, battery systems, testing, powertrains, thermal management, circuit protection, wire and cable, EMI/EMC and more.

Shell has announced the launch of its integrated EV charging network targeting heavy-duty fleet operators in Europe. The network merges Shell Recharge sites, roaming partner locations, semi-public depot sites and private charging points with managed third-party access into a unified platform to accelerate fleet electrification while addressing common infrastructure and investment challenges.

Shell designed the network to help heavy-duty fleet operators address gaps in public EV infrastructure and reduce high upfront depot investment by providing alternative access to charging solutions. The company says the offering includes tailored charging hardware and software systems, support for energy management and optimised energy pricing structures.

The network allows operators to electrify their fleets without direct depot investment. Shell claims energy cost savings of up to 30 percent and stable pricing through this model.

SBRS, a Shell-owned company, is responsible for delivering the depot network elements. SBRS oversees hardware deployment, software integration and energy system support across semi-public and private depot charging sites.

By integrating these charging elements, Shell says it can reduce the total cost of ownership for battery-electric trucks by up to 25 percent through stable, discounted energy pricing, charging optimisation, and the ability to generate revenue by opening depot access during off-peak hours.

“Our integrated charging network supports fleet operators by providing dependable access and helps to reduce the total cost of ownership for battery-electric trucks by up to 25 percent,” said Conrad Mummert, Head of SBRS at Shell. “That reduction is driven by a combination of cost-saving and revenue-generating opportunities—from stable, discounted energy pricing and charging optimisation, to monetising depot access during off-peak hours.”

Source: Shell

MAHLE has announced the start of production for its high-voltage HVAC e-compressors at its Tennessee facility—the first time the component has been manufactured in North America. E-compressors are critical components for managing efficient HVAC systems in EVs, with a direct impact on driving range.

The Morristown facility, previously focused on steel piston production for internal combustion engines, will now produce both legacy and EV products at one site. Nearly 50 new jobs are being added as a result of this new production line.

MAHLE says the new e-compressor production line is part of its larger commitment to the US market and local manufacturing. This investment brings total employment at the Morristown site to almost 800. Over the last five years, MAHLE has created more than 300 jobs in Tennessee through its thermal management operations in Murfreesboro.

MAHLE’s North American operations include 15 locations and are headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. In 2024, the company’s US workforce numbered nearly 5,000, and intends to expand its US-based activities as part of a strategy to supply and build components for locally manufactured vehicles.

“Starting the e-compressor production in Morristown, Tennessee, marks an important milestone for MAHLE as we further strengthen our footprint in the USA and our role as local employer,” said Arnd Franz, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of MAHLE. “This extension is a great example of successfully transforming a production plant formerly fully dedicated to internal combustion engines by launching electrification products for future mobility—a clear investment in the plant’s future.”

Source: MAHLE

Canadian battery materials manufacturer Nano One Materials has installed and commissioned an agitator in the commercial-sized, 20,000-liter One-Pot reactor at its production facility in Candiac, Québec.

The new equipment installation has been engineered to enhance mixing dynamics, thermal transfer and reaction time and is estimated to increase throughput capacity at the facility by approximately 50%. The increased capacity will result in reduced production costs, the company said, in addition to supporting production scale-up and continued product commercialization, as well as optimizing plant design for the company’s future licensing business. It will also improve the consistency and quality of CAM output.

The proprietary agitator equipment was sourced from a German manufacturer specializing in mixing technologies. The upgrade followed extensive piloting, data collection and modeling conducted on smaller 2,000-liter One-Pot pilot reactors, which were commissioned in October 2023.

The project is supported by funding and expense reimbursements from the NRC IRAP Clean Technology Program (formerly SDTC), Investissement Québec, Technoclimat and the US Department of Defense (DoD). 

“The commissioning of the new equipment marks a milestone in the further optimization of the Candiac operations, which has been established as a One-Pot LFP demonstration production plant,” said Denis Geoffroy, Chief Commercialization Officer of Nano One. “The upgrade was achieved through the combined efforts of our engineering and production teams. This achievement underscores the scalability of the One-Pot process.”

Nano One also announced five new patents in North America and Asia, bringing its total to 52 granted, one allowed and 54 pending in jurisdictions around the world.

The recent patents include three patents related to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cathodes, in the US, Canada and Taiwan, a patent related to nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cathode materials in South Korea, and a US patent for the assembly of lithium nickel manganese oxide (LNMO) cathode material. 

Source: Nano One Materials

US-based direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology developer Lilac Solutions has announced that its Generation 4 ion exchange (IX) technology is a key driver of improved results presented in Lake Resources’ updated definitive feasibility study (DFS Addendum) for the Kachi Lithium Project in Argentina.

Lilac says its Gen 4 technology delivers a 10% increase in lithium recovery, to 90%, and reductions in capital and operating costs, while maintaining impurity rejection of 99.9%.

It reduces DLE unit capital expenditure by $98 million and DLE unit operating expenditure by $508 per ton of LCE, resulting in total project capital savings of approximately $160 million, which includes secondary impacts from Lilac’s technology advancements.

The updated study also reflects an increase in the brine grade from 205 mg/​L to 249 mg/​L, further improving process efficiency and economics.

Lilac’s Gen 4 IX technology delivers higher lithium recovery and process efficiency. Recovery optimized for commercial-scale economics has increased to 90%, reducing feed and reinjection volumes by 30% combined with higher brine grade, supporting higher reserve estimates.

Greater durability doubles the operational life of IX media and reduces reagent consumption. Improved throughput and system design require 50% fewer IX modules, cutting package costs by 39%.

Power demand at the site has been reduced—from 82 MW to 57 MW—through enhanced process efficiency and implementation of the Gen 4 technology. This helps offset rising utility costs in a remote location where power accounts for over half of total operating expenses.

Gen 4 IX technology was successfully demonstrated at Lilac’s Jujuy plant in Argentina on similar brine chemistry.

Lilac is advancing its first commercial project at the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The company continues to partner with resource developers to unlock lithium supply from brine resources that were previously considered uneconomic.

“The updated Kachi DFS is a strong validation of the advances we’ve made with our Gen 4 technology,” said Raef Sully, CEO of Lilac. ​“We’re really pleased with these results, which show how our technology can deliver the recovery, cost structure, and sustainability needed to make brine resources commercially viable. And we’re not stopping here — our team is continuing to push the boundaries of what our technology can achieve as we work to unlock new lithium supply.”

Source: Lilac Solutions