Teco, SIM-Drive Partner in In-Wheel EV Motor Biz

Taipei, July 6, 2010 (CENS)--Taiwan-based Teco Group recently signed a cooperation agreement with SIM-Drive Corp. of Japan to jointly tap the electric-vehicle (EV) in-wheel electric motor business, with Teco Group C.K. Liu and Hiroshi Shimizu, SIM-Drive's president and CEO signing the agreement in Taipei, Taiwan.

The tie-up is expected to achieve annual production of about 100,000 in-wheel motors for various battery electric vehicles (BEV), including mostly likely vehicles from Isuzu and Mitsubishi of Japan.

With well-deployed global production bases and sales channels, Liu claimed, Teco beat 33 competitors to win the partnership with SIM-Drive in the promising EV-related business.

Teco Group founder Theodore Huang pointed out that SIM-Drive, though only set up in 2009, has over 30-years in development experience and know-how in in-wheel EV motor. Huang has personally tested vehicles using SIM-Drive's in-wheel motors, and thinks EVs with such propulsion have strong competitiveness in becoming mainstream technology.

According to Liu, the in-wheel motor has the advantages of direct drive so EVs powered by such motor no longer need transmission systems. In addition, direct drive also enables better acceleration, with such vehicle equipped with eight in-wheel motors being faster than even a Porsche sport car.

The in-wheel motor also offers higher flexibility for transportation applications (more motors for higher horsepower), and prices of such motors are quite competitive too, Liu added.

Teco is scheduled to begin mass production of SIM-Drive's in-wheel motors in 2011.

Some industry experts believe some heavy-duty motorcycle models are expected to be powered by in-wheel motors and launched in 2011, whose acceleration will exceed that of traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts.

In addition to in-wheel motors, Teco will also cooperate with SIM-Drive in other motor products.