‘Electric cars the most efficient route to zero-carbon mobility’: Valeo CEO

At the Car Symposium 2023 held from May 3-4, 2023 in Bochum, Germany, leading automotive industry participants discussed the key trends in the automotive industry. In the introduction to his keynote address on ‘Next Steps to the Green Car’, Christophe Périllat, Valeo Chief Executive Officer, said: “The world needs to be decarbonised. And, of course, our sector has an important role to play in this challenge.”

 “We need solutions that are the right size for every need, from small city cars to premium sedans. That is why Valeo develops solutions for every area and every type of need. Electromobility cannot be the luxury of a few,” explained Perillat.

The French component and technology major has been one of the first companies in the automotive industry to bet on electrification and is a world leader in both powertrains and thermal systems, the two fields that make efficient electromobility possible. Today, as per the company, one out of every three cars in the world are equipped with Valeo’s electrification technologies.

“We have already equipped more than 90 car models with our high-voltage powertrains. Our newly developed electric axle creates more than 5 percent more efficiency and more than 40 percent additional power density with the new 800 V inverter generation. Including the electric motor, inverter and reducer, it is 10 percent lighter and 20 percent more compact than the previous generation,” detailed Perillat.

But beyond the electrification of the powertrain, the adoption of EVs relies heavily on the performance of the batteries. The Valeo CEO explained how “the limiting factor of fast charging is no longer the cell chemistry but the cooling during charging to avoid thermal runaways.“.

Valeo is working with Total Energy on a breakthrough immersive cooling technology that will be the key technology enabling ultra-fast charging and securing battery aging.

And, as “good thermal management results in longer battery life while improving range without sacrificing comfort. The Group has developed a smart heat pump that works twice as efficiently as classic electric heaters with 20% less weight and will be introduced in the market in October 2023. The smart heat pump ensures both the comfort of the passengers and increases the range significantly of the vehicle, especially when outside temperatures are low. A new variant relying on a green refrigerant combined with radiant panels will further improve efficiency and avoid any P-FAS in the car.

Focus on sustainability

According to Valeo, every day, the company’s 10,000 engineers around the world work on developing technologies and services to make electromobility more affordable and efficient, but also to save valuable resources.

“We ensure that each of our technologies is designed with a robust design for high durability, repairability, remanufacturing and recycling,” explained Christophe Périllat before presenting an example: “Just a year ago, it was considered impossible but in 2022 we used 100 percent recycled polycarbonate in headlights and 100 percent recycled polypropylene in HVAC systems.” Valeo will also extend remanufacturing to answer to the growing electronisation of the cars driven by EV and ADAS.

There is also enhanced focus on preserving natural resources “Together with Renault, we are developing an electric motor that does not require any rare earths at all,” says Christophe Perillat, “we aim to be the first to mass-produce a 200kW, 800V, rare earth-free motor by 2027.”

At the end of his keynotes, he concluded by saying that “our industry has a unique opportunity – and we all have an enormous responsibility for the success of this transformation. At Valeo, we are proud to make green mobility a reality.”

Image: Valeo/Twitter

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