Poland-
based Toyota
plant begins
production of
hybrid electric
transaxles
New project centre for
automotive construction
opens in Poland
T
oyota Motor Manufacturing Poland
(TMMP) in Wałbrzych has launched
an assembly line for fourth-generation
hybrid drive transaxles. The transaxles
will be installed in the Corolla Hybrid and
Toyota C-HR Hybrid models in Europe.
The announcement marks the first stage
of Toyota’s introduction of its advanced
hybrid technology and Toyota New Global
Architecture (TNGA) into Polish plants.
Hybrid electric technology boosting
Toyota’s electrification strategy
TMMP is the first Toyota plant outside of Asia
and the second located outside of Japan to
be entrusted with the production of Toyota’s
technologically advanced hybrid transaxles.
Hybrid electric transaxles coordinate the
synergy between electric motors and the
combustion engine. It is a core element of
Toyota’s hybrid electric powertrain.
“We started Europe’s journey towards
electrification with our first hybrid in Europe
in 2000. Today, almost one in two of our
sales are hybrids and our hybrid sales
continue to grow. Hybrid technology is our
key differentiator. It is only one part of our
ambitious electrification strategy to sell
over 5.5 million electrified vehicles globally,
including 1 million zero emission vehicles,
per year, by 2030. The continued growth of
hybrid in Europe allows for the expansion
of local production of hybrid components,”
said Dr. Johan van Zyl, President and CEO of
Toyota Motor Europe.
www.intelligentcio.com
T
he Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has
opened its inaugural project centre
at the Opole University of Technology in
Poland. The newly established research
platform goes by the name of Fraunhofer
Project Center for Advanced Lightweight
Technologies (ALighT) and is the fruit of
a partnership between the Fraunhofer
Institute for Machine Tools and Forming
Technology IWU and the Opole
University of Technology.
At the interface of cross-border
collaboration
This project centre unites both partners’
expertise in the development of
production processes, new design ideas
and pricing strategies for the manufacture
of lightweight hybrid components,
particularly for the automotive industry. The project centre focuses on developing
production processes, new design
ideas and pricing strategies for the
manufacture of lightweight hybrid
components. At the same time, its
work also encompasses other areas
of expertise such as modelling and
simulation of structures and processes,
and recycling and remanufacturing. The
project centre is located at the interface
of cross-border collaboration between
German automotive manufacturers and
component suppliers on the one hand,
and their subsidiaries and suppliers in
Poland on the other hand.
Lightweight construction is one of
the greatest challenges facing the
automotive industry. Electric motors
and hybrid engines increase vehicle
weight, which must be compensated by
lightweight components. Lightweight
materials and innovative processes can
help achieve a decisive reduction in
fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and
production costs. “Interdisciplinary collaboration and
international partnerships are the
cornerstones of top-class research today,”
said Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, President
of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. “That is
why we look forward to working together
with our Polish partners. Fraunhofer IWU
has wide-ranging expertise in lightweight
construction and will also contribute its
know-how in handling advanced materials.”
INTELLIGENTCIO
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