German component suppliers Benteler and Bosch have, earlier this month, joined forces with Italian design house Pininfarina. Designs from Turin will increasingly be visible in electric vehicles as well, specifically in vehicles equipped with the rolling chassis from Benteler and Bosch. This is a modular and scalable platform solution that was developed by both partners.

Pininfarina, with its 90 years of expertise in the automotive industry, will provide top-hat unique style and engineering, successfully integrating the upper body structure with the chassis. With its expertise as vehicle integrator, Pininfarina owns the know-how for successfully integrating the single components into the car.

As a result, Benteler, Bosch and Pininfarina can cover the entire development process for an electric vehicle, all the way to the start of production, including the building of prototypes. The advantage for electric-vehicle manufacturers is their ability to quickly implement their prototypes in many different variations and designs, saving them both time and money.

“During our 90-year history, our company has always strived to achieve the right balance between emotions and what makes sense from a technical standpoint,” said Silvio Pietro Angori, CEO of Pininfarina SpA. “By combining our design and engineering philosophy with the rolling chassis developed by Benteler and Bosch, we are even further enhancing our core beliefs into the era of e-mobility.”

EV makers to benefit
“Manufacturers of electric vehicles, especially companies that want to enter the e-mobility market, will benefit from the collaboration,” emphasises Marco Kollmeier, Vice President of the Business Unit Electro-Mobility at Benteler Automotive. “They can build upon the standardized interfaces that we have defined together with Pininfarina S.p.A., integrating the upper body structure with the chassis.”

Regardless of which vehicle type or design a manufacturer chooses, all technical components, such as the chassis, power train and battery, fit together perfectly. Benteler benefits too, adds Marco Kollmeier: “Partners like Pininfarina S.p.A. and Bosch are not only complementing our competencies. By joining forces for the development process, we can also help car manufacturers bring their products to market much faster and more efficiently than they have in the past.”

Rolling chassis from Benteler and Bosch
The technical foundation for the collaboration is the rolling chassis, which Benteler and Bosch have been developing since last year. It is based on the Benteler Electric Drive System (BEDS). The rolling chassis combines Benteler know-how, including integrated crash management, flexible and scalable battery-storage systems, and solutions for electrified axles. Bosch brings in electrical and electronic components and sub-systems, including the vehicle control unit, electric drives, electric power steering, and braking systems. This includes software and systems integration and services.

In September 2019, Benteler won its first client for the rolling chassis -- the Mahindra Group-owned Automobili Pininfarina, which has acquired a license for the 'Pininfarina' brand name. In addition, Benteler is cooperating with Evergrande, the Chinese real estate company which  entered the market for electric vehicles in early 2019.