Norma Group wins big cooling systems order from Indian electric SUV maker

Germany’s Norma Group has announced that it is bagged a major order from an Indian electric SUV manufacturer. The leading supplier though has not revealed the OEM, likely due to an NDA between the two companies.

According to Norma Group, which manufactures innovative clamps, connectors and fluid systems, “Within the customer’s all-electric SUV fleet, Norma Group’s cooling systems help to save weight and to improve vehicle efficiency with a tailormade design. From 2024 to 2030, around 700,000 vehicles are to be equipped in the scope of this order."

“Our products and engineering services for the innovative SUV series underline Norma Group’s contribution to global technology progress,” said Guido Grandi, CEO of Norma Group. “E-mobility will likely remain the mega trend for the automotive industry for years to come, and we will continue to serve our customers with innovative products and services for all-electric, hybrid, fuel cell or hydrogen vehicles. This collaboration is a good example of our strategy to work closely with OEMs and deliver tailored solutions for their innovations.”

Lightweight cooling water system for new BEV platform
As per Norma, from mid-2024, it “will deliver cooling water systems for the power electronics system for the customer’s new BEV platform. It comprises four models which are planned to hit the market successively from summer 2024 to 2026.”

The Norma Group will manufacture the cooling water lines at its plant in Pune, Maharashtra, and deliver directly to the customer’s plant also based in Maharashtra. The line systems are used for the thermal management of the power electronics system. They help to ensure the optimal operating temperatures of the vehicle. Thermal management is an essential aspect of energy management in EVs and helps to optimise battery performance and extend battery life.

“At Norma Group, we strive to support our customers in building the electric future of mobility. As thermal management systems in e-cars become more complex, weight requirements and pressure loss mitigation represent major challenges. Together with our customers, we meet these challenges offering dedicated product design and material validation expertise as well as in-house testing capacities,” said Michael Eisner, Vice-President, Business Development for Norma Group’s business unit Mobility & New Energy in APAC.

Typical of global suppliers, Norma works closely with customers and partners in the automotive industry to support and drive transformation and enable the development of vehicles that are even lighter and more efficient. Together with Indian EV OEM’s engineering team, Norma Group’s product development engineers have designed a solution using plastic lines for the cooling system instead of rubber hoses. The switch in material and design choice allows for a significant weight reduction of the cooling water system of approximately 20 to 25 percent.

The Indian OEM: Mahindra or Tata Motors?
While the Norma Group has not revealed the name of the Indian EV manufacturer, likely due to non-disclosure agreement, this big supply order clearly gives it a foothold in the Indian passenger vehicle market, which is the world’s third largest and currently witnessing strong growth.

Over the past two years, SUVs have been the driving force for PV sales and this trend is also reflected in the growing demand for electric passenger vehicles. In CY2023, retail sales of electric SUVs, MPVs and cars jumped 114% year on year to over 81,000 units. Tata Motors remains the strong market leader with a 70% market share – this was 80% not too long ago but has reduced with new competition and an expanding EV market.

Mahindra & Mahindra, which signed the first supply agreement on components of Volkswagen´s MEB for its purpose-built electric platform Inglo on February 16, is revving up for aggressive play in the growing Indian EV market. M&M plans to launch five all-electric SUVs in India, starting December 2024. The state-of-the-art Inglo EV platform will spawn these five e-SUVs under two sub-brands (XUV and BE) – the XUV.e8, XUV.e9, BE.05, BE.07 and BE.09. The first four of these are to be launched between 2024 and 2026. The first Inglo platform-based born EV – XUV700-based XUV.e8 – will go into series production from December 2024.

Meanwhile, Tata Motors’ is readying to expand its EV portfolio. The company, which has two SUVs in its all-electric SUV stable in the form of the Nexon EV and Punch EV, unveiled its advanced ‘Pure EV’ architecture – Acti.EV (Advanced Connected Tech-Intelligent Electric Vehicle) in early January 2024. The Acti.EV platform is to underpin future products from the Tata Passenger Electric Mobility portfolio. While the Curvv EV is slated for launch first this year, the Harrier EV has been earmarked for an end-CY2024 rollout, followed by the Sierra EV in CY2025 and later the Safari EV. 

Main image: Norma Group