MAHLE inaugurated a new research and development center yesterday at its location in Valencia, Spain. Approximately 250 employees will work on developing new products and solutions for sustainable mobility at this competence center for vehicle electronics.

Electronic systems are becoming increasingly important in modern vehicles. The powertrain of the future is a system consisting of interconnected hardware and software that communicates and interacts intelligently within the vehicle. In its work to pioneer future mobility solutions, MAHLE says it continuously expanding its activities in the area of electronics, with the company’s new research and development center in Valencia representing a significant element of this approach.

“As a creator of new and climate-friendly mobility solutions, we believe that the ongoing development of e-mobility is crucial. With our new research and development center, we’re strengthening our competence in the area of power electronics and consistently working toward our goal of becoming a holistic systems supplier in this field,” said Dr. Jörg Stratmann, chairman of the management board and CEO of the MAHLE Group.

In the future, power electronics and software solutions — e.g., for products such as electric drive systems and auxiliary components, charge management systems, or heating and cooling systems — will be developed in Valencia. Another area of focus at the Valencia location will be the validation of systems in accordance with the standards of the automotive industry.

To effectively advance the electrification of vehicles, MAHLE has combined its activities relating to electric drives, actuators and auxiliaries, as well as control and power electronics in the Mechatronics division. These products are used in passenger cars, commercial vehicles and off-highway vehicles.

“With its excellent universities, Valencia is an ideal hub for modern research and development. I’m convinced that our new research and development center will be an asset to the city and become a magnet for electronics development, attracting the next generation of engineers,” said Wilhelm Emperhoff, member of the management board of the MAHLE Group, responsible for the Filtration and Engine Peripherals business unit as well as the Mechatronics division.

MAHLE’s goal is to make individual mobility more climate-friendly and sustainable. To achieve this, the company is pursuing a dual strategy. On the one hand, MAHLE says it is working intensively on the further optimization of the combustion engine. On the other, the company is developing solutions for the widespread adoption of e-mobility.