Chassis Alliance to Accelerate Development of Electric Vehicles in Taiwan

The development of the electric vehicle (EV) industry in Taiwan moved another step forward when the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) recently invited several local private companies with expertise in different areas to set up an EV Chassis R&D Alliance.

The signing ceremony for the establishment of the alliance was attended by representatives from its key members, including the MIRDC, Hua-chuang Automobile Information Technical Center Co. (HAITEC), Kwang Yang Motor Co. (KYMCO), Lioho Machine Works Ltd., Chroma ATE Inc., Amita Technologies Inc., C-LiFe Technologies Inc., Teco Electric and Machinery Co., and China Steel Corp.

The purpose of the alliance is to promote the development of EV chassis systems and parts, and to establish the Taiwan Chassis Co. (TCC) to help the local EV industry develop in a healthy way and tap into global supply chains.

In an address at the signing ceremony, MIRDC president Michael Fu said that Taiwan's EV industry is getting started at a good time because the global automobile market is undergoing a major reshuffle following a century of control by big automakers. This reshuffle gives Taiwan a chance to make use of its competitive position in information and communications technology (ICT) to fill the role of an EV supplier. It is for this reason, Fu stated, that the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs commissioned the MIRDC to initiate the R&D alliance.

Fu is confident that the new alliance will help accelerate EV-industry development on the island. He pointed out that members of the alliance include assembled-vehicle makers (HAITEC and KYMCO), a chassis maker (Lioho), a motor manufacturer (Teco), a motor-driver maker (Chroma), lithium-ion battery makers (Amita and C-Life), and a materials supplier (China Steel), all of which aim to participate in TCC and boost the vertical integration of Taiwan's EV-chassis resources, thereby creating more opportunities for future development.

K.H. Huang, consultant to DOiT, noted that the chassis is a vital part for a nation's development of indigenous EV products. An EV chassis is totally different from a chassis for an internal combustion engine car, he stressed; it is a brand-new field everywhere, and Taiwan has already devoted a lot of effort to it. That, he added, gives Taiwan a better chance to be a major player in the new EV game.

Wu Tung-Chuan, the steering convener of the Taiwan Automotive Research Consortium (TARC) and general director of the Mechanical & System Research Laboratories (MSL) under the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), pointed out at the signing ceremony that the performance of the chassis is a key indicator of success in EV development. To boost the further progress of the EV industry on the island, he said, the government has been pouring more and more resources into it.

TARC has four founding members, Wu added: MSL, the Automotive Research and Testing Center (ARTC), the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), and MIRDC. The four have been joined by about 120 private suppliers and manufacturers.

Wu reported that prior to the EV chassis alliance TARC had set up three R&D alliances, including the High-safety Lithium-ion Battery R&D Alliance, EV Operation and Energy Refilling R&D Alliance, and Advanced EV Propulsion System R&D Alliance.

Consolidation

Allen Huang, director of MIRDC's metal processing R&D department and deputy secretary general of TARC, pointed out that the new chassis alliance is expected to resolve many bottlenecks and other difficulties current facing development of the EV industry, as well as to lay down a solid base for future development.

In its broad meaning, Huang commented, a chassis system includes several sub-systems such as the vehicle frame, brake, steering, suspension, and perhaps even the powertrain system. The chassis, therefore, can also be termed a 'platform', like the motherboard of a personal computer (PC), which carries all the functional parts and components.

Due to cost concerns, the director explained, most existing EV models available on the market are supplied by automakers that use existing chassis for internal-combustion cars with certain system modifications. Such products, like the Nissan Leaf EV, have many disadvantages, such as higher weight, as well as difficulty of battery repair and maintenance. A true EV chassis is very different from a traditional car chassis, he added, and only its use can thoroughly resolve many problems that EV drivers face.

Huang also revealed the major advantages of an EV chassis that is currently under development. First, it has a weight-cutting design that uses more lightweight materials and engineering methods such as advanced high-strength steel (AHSS), aluminum alloy, a hydro-forming tubular structure, and an integrated chassis structure (including the battery pack).

Second, according to Huang, the chassis has a flexible design with a space-frame structure that allows the wheelbase and vehicle width to be flexibly adjusted and front and rear suspension systems that can be designed as modules, so that the same chassis can be adopted for many EV models.

The third advantage is design flexibility in the location of the battery pack and motor. If the chassis performs like a PC motherboard, the battery is like a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) while the motor serves as the central processor. That means, Huang explained, that vehicle designers and manufacturers can easily choose different matches between motor and battery to achieve targeted performance such as longer cruise range or more powerful acceleration.

And there is a fourth advantage, in the battery/circuit protection design. There is absolutely no way that high-voltage current can leak out to threaten the safety of the vehicle or its riders, Huang said, and the use of insulating materials and auto-off functions provide further protection. Advanced heat dissipation means that the temperature of the lithium-ion battery pack can never exceed 70 degrees Celsius (higher temperatures would seriously damage the whole pack). Separate locations for the batteries helps assure safety, and shock-absorption materials are used to keep them safer.

Huang stressed that demand for new chassis systems has been rising rapidly due to the changes in automobile powertrain and energy systems. In the future, he predicted, Taiwan will offer more customized 'running chassis' (chassis with attached powertrain systems) after such platforms are successfully integrated and modularized. That, he stressed, will give the island a chance to create new competitiveness in the EV era. (Sep. 2010)