Hidria announces EUR 45 million deal with Volkswagen
Idrija, 7 October - Hidria has signed a new EUR 45 million deal with the German Volkswagen Group to develop and supply key components for the latest 48-volt system with starter-generator technology. These systems will be used in Volkswagen's mild-hybrid electric vehicles from 2023 onwards, Hidria said on Thursday.
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A plant of the car parts maker Hidria.
Photo: Tinkara Zupan/STA
The mild-hybrid electric vehicles (mHEV) do not have a battery that can be recharged via a plug, but are equipped with the latest system with a 48V belt starter generator, as described on the Volkswagen group's website.
As an electric motor, the generator supports the combustion engine in order to increase the drive power according to the situation - for example when accelerating. In deceleration phases, it converts the vehicle's kinetic energy and charges the battery with energy that would otherwise be lost.
"With this deal, Hidria remains the leading strategic supplier for the automotive industry, supplying key parts of the electric motor within the new system," said the company based in Spodnja Idrija.
They added that modern hybrid vehicles will consume up to 30% less fuel with the latest system, thanks to energy recuperation through an additional water-cooled battery.
This should significantly reduce the CO2 emissions from such vehicles to less than 92 grams per kilometre, below the 95g CO2/km target set under current EU regulations for 2020-2024.
At the beginning of September, Hidria laid the foundation stone for the construction of a high-tech development centre for the production of key parts of electric motors for hybrid and electric vehicles, which is to become operational in mid-2023.
The investment is worth EUR 40 million, and the company said that building the centre would be one of the first steps of the project GEMO (Green Mobility).
Through this project, the government and Slovenia's leading automotive manufacturers plan the transformation and further growth of the Slovenian automotive supplier industry as part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Green mobility will also be discussed next week, when the government will meet with leading representatives of the Slovenian automotive industry at Hidria.