Dana's motor and inverter joint venture TM4 has reached a major milestone with the production of its 12,000th TM4 Sumo electric powertrain for buses and commercial vehicles in China. The JV between Dana and Hydro-Quebec, a public utility company established by the government of Quebec designs and manufactures electric motors, generators, power electronics, and control systems suitable for the commercial, automotive, marine, mining, rail, motorsports, and recreational vehicle markets.

The TM4 Sumo systems were initially introduced for the fast-growing Chinese market is in application for electric buses in more than 20 cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Suzhou, Chongqing, Shenzhen. The company's key Chinese OE-customers include Higer, Yaxing, Foton, Yinlong, and King Long.

"Our goal is to provide our customers around the world with a powerful and convenient solution to support their e-mobility initiatives. The TM4 Sumo direct-drive electric powertrain is a proven solution that has been quickly adopted in China for its high efficiency, reliability, ease of integration, and low maintenance.  We are also quickly gaining market share in Europe, North America, and India, positioning Dana as a market leader in electrodynamic solutions," said Christophe Dominiak, chief technology officer, Dana.

The company says the e-powertrain system is developed for performance and durabilityand is optimised for medium- and heavy-duty electric and hybrid vehicles, such as 6-to-18-metre buses, delivery trucks, and shuttles. Dana says by allowing direct drive operation, the system reduces powertrain complexity, creating for a simple, efficient and low-maintenance solution, which the company says yields more than 10 percent efficiency gains throughout the driving cycle, representing an equivalent gain in battery usage.

According to the Tier 1 the TM4 Sumo systems can be optimised to offer the best driveline efficiencies to different vehicle platforms based on selected duty cycles. The systems are designed and engineered at TM4 in Boucherville, Quebec, Canada, and manufactured by its Chinese joint-venture, Prestolite E-Propulsion Systems in Weifang, Shandong.  Both are equipped with high volume, flexible, and automated production lines, and a large range of dynamometers and test cells, making it possible to conduct full validation and certification of electric and hybrid powertrains.

Prestolite E-Propulsion Systems (PEPS) is a joint venture between TM4 and Prestolite Electric Beijing.