Eaton announced this week it is addressing increasing demand for high-voltage electrified vehicle technologies with the creation of its new eMobility business. With a focus on intelligent power electronics, power systems and advanced power distribution and circuit protection, eMobility is poised to capitalize on a global vehicle electrification market projected to grow to 15 million pure battery-electric vehicles and another 30 million hybrids, from mild to plug-in, by 2030.
eMobility was formed by combining products, expertise and global manufacturing capabilities from Eaton’s Electrical and Vehicle businesses. Eaton said it plans to invest more than $500 million over the next five years to develop new products and technologies, including smart diagnostic technologies, intelligent power electronics and predictive health monitoring, to further strengthen its global capabilities and deliver intelligent electrification products and solutions to passenger car, commercial vehicle and off-highway customers.
The new global eMobility is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, with design centers and manufacturing locations in Asia, Europe and the Americas. The business has approximately 1,200 employees.
Eaton, a leader in vehicle electrification, has more than 15 years of expertise in developing hybrid systems with more than 15,000 hybrid electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid electric systems on the road in the U.S., Europe, China and other Asia-Pacific markets. Eaton also has high-voltage, fast-acting fuses in nearly 50 percent of global electrified cars, and power electronics on a leading European battery-electric vehicle platform.
As a global supplier, Eaton has extensive knowledge of vehicle dynamics and safety standards, and experience managing high-voltage power distribution, circuit protection and advanced electric power quality systems. Eaton’s Electrical business has products installed in some of the world’s largest data centers, hospitals, factories and other areas that consume large amounts of electricity and where uninterruptable power flow is critical, and is bringing that institutional knowledge and expertise to the automotive and commercial vehicle markets with eMobility.
“Our understanding of the unique needs of vehicle customers, along with our experience in transmissions and power electronics in the hybrid space, gives us a distinct advantage versus other suppliers,” said Jeff Lowinger, president, eMobility. “Customers using Eaton hybrid systems have collectively accumulated an estimated 2 billion miles of clean, reliable service.”
eMobility focuses on three primary areas for both automotive and commercial vehicle customers: intelligent power electronics, power systems and advanced power distribution and circuit protection. The power distribution and protection category includes fuses, supercapacitors and power distribution units (PDUs), while converters and on-board chargers fall under the power electronics umbrella. Power systems include electric vehicle transmissions for a variety of medium- and heavy-duty applications, as well as a 48-volt regenerative accessory drive system for heavy-duty trucks.
Eaton’s existing line of electrified products – which includes DC/DC converters, PDUs, hybrid and battery-electric transmissions and high-voltage fuses – will serve as the foundation for eMobility to build additional growth as electrification increases. Eaton projects its current electrified portfolio will account for approximately $300 million in revenue in 2018, and forecasts revenues of $2 billion to $4 billion by 2030 as new products and customers are added to the eMobility portfolio.
