The Motor will be used in a variety of Mercedes-Benz EVs
It will be built in the company’s oldest factory, in Berlin
The plant previously made 6-cylinder diesel engines
Daimler, the parent company to Mercedes-Benz, recently announced it will start producing its own electric motors in-house in 2022.
This move will allow the company to become less dependant on outside suppliers, which reduces costs on the long term and prevents supply issues.
The electric motor in question is the axial flux motor that was designed for Daimler by British start up YASA.
This unit can be used in a wide variety of applications, which makes engineers’ jobs easier by allowing them to use the same components in many vehicles.
This design of motors is also said to be very efficient, enough to increase the range of EVs by 7%.
The factory that was chosen to produce this motor is the company’s oldest one, the Berlin-Mirenfeld plant.
This factory used to produce six-cylinder diesel engines, but Daimler announced it would discontinue this powertrain back in September of 2020, which made many employees worry about the future of their employment.
Since the factory will transition to making electric motors, most jobs should remain at the site, a relief for the workers.
The factory will need to be refitted to produce the electric drivetrains so Daimler’s investment in the plant is supposed to go from a double-digit million euro amount to a low triple-digit million euro amount over the next six years.
