eDrive & Powertrain
The eDrive and Powertrain Division located in Redford, in the heart of automotive Michigan specialises in the series product development of powertrain components for conventional and electrified powertrains.
Following the successful development of the first Mercedes-Benz full hybrid, the ML450h with an AHSC system, the significant skills that were developed in powertrain development have been put to good use. From component development, through system integration to calibration and field support, the engineering organisation at the location covers almost the whole range of lifecycle processes.
The inhouse development of electric motors for Daimler (including AMG and other business units) and EM-Motive use forms one corner of the key competencies at the location. In addition to the integration, qualification and testing of systems with relevant inverters, electronics and chargers enables the rapid development of solutions in the electrified drivetrain realm. The control of the electric motors is achieved using in house production software enabling optimal efficiency and performace. A significant portion of the development work is supported by a test engineer team responsible for ensure complete qualification of hardware components from environmental tests to durability runs, specified and adapted for specific applications.
Additional hardware scope includes the design and development of frames and brackets for mounting powertrains in vehicles, high voltage wiring solutions for electric vehicles and chargers for electrified plug-in vehicles. Further work is also performed on battery control and energy management for vehicles in the Daimler family portfolio. This latter scope builds effectively on the previous experience with hybrid system development in the same organisation.
OBD documentation and testing is performed by the division to ensure the OBD processes within Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars, AMG and Daimler Vans are optimally supported. A very experienced OBD team has been assembled to capitalise on the experience available in Michigan. The scope includes the testing, as Pre-PVE tests, of these vehicles on site.
Testing of electrified vehicle charging communication systems is a recent addition to the scope at the location and will be supported by inductive charging solution applications in the near future.
