Automotive supplier Hella KGaA Hueck & Co., Lippstadt, Germany, is strengthening its position in the field of electric mobility through a strategic partnership with battery manufacturer Farasis Energy Europe GmbH – BDC, Frickenhausen, Germany. The aim of the cooperation is to develop a new, scalable platform for battery management systems for electric vehicles by 2024. As part of the cooperation, electronics expert HELLA will in particular contribute its many years of expertise in the fields of battery electronics and battery management systems. Farasis will contribute its strong expertise in the field of battery manufacturing and will carry out the integration of the battery management system into the high voltage battery. The target markets for the use of the battery solutions are initially Europe and North and South America.
“Tomorrow’s mobility will be predominantly electric. High voltage batteries will play a key role in this context. In order to continue the transformation to electromobility, modular battery solutions that can be flexibly adapted to the respective requirements of car manufacturers are required above all,” says Guido Schütte, who is responsible for the Product Center Energy Management at HELLA. “We are therefore pleased to together launch such a scalable platform for high-voltage batteries based on the strategic cooperation now agreed with Farasis.”
“With HELLA we have a powerful partner and supplier on our side, who is just like Farasis characterised by a high level of innovation in the field of energy management”, says Sebastian Wolf, Head of EU Operations at Farasis. “By bundling our specific strengths, we will not only bring an innovative battery solution for electric vehicles onto the market, but above all make another important contribution on the path to CO₂-neutral mobility.”
About HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA
HELLA is a global, family-owned company, listed on the stock exchange, with over 125 locations in some 35 countries. With sales of € 5.8 billion in the fiscal year 2019/2020 and 36,000 employees, HELLA is one of the leading automotive suppliers. HELLA specialises in innovative lighting systems and vehicle electronics and has been an important partner to the automotive industry and aftermarket for more than a century. Furthermore, in its Special Applications segment, HELLA develops, manufactures and sells lighting and electronic products for specialist vehicles.
About Farasis Energy Europe GmbH
Farasis was founded in 2002 in California and is a listed manufacturer of Li-ion cells, modules and battery systems for automotive and industrial applications. Farasis currently employs more than 4,000 people worldwide and operates research and development centres in the USA, China and Germany. There are two manufacturing plants in Ganzhou and Zhenjiang (China). The establishment of a third production site in Europe is planned.