EV Demo Car Developed by Valeo and BAIC

In a world where most of the car manufacturers who have a say in the industry have already developed an electric vehicle (with few even selling them already), automotive supplier Valeo partnered with the Chinese from BAIC to create an electric demo car.

The vehicle uses a complete Valeo electric powertrain system which comprises a synchronous permanent magnet motor with a large operating speed range and a single gear transmission. An electric motor, an inverter, a transmission, a charger, a supervisor and a DC/DC converter are also part of the system.

"The development of this vehicle with our partner BAIC demonstrates Valeo's expertise in powertrain systems designed to reduce vehicle CO2 emissions and improve energy efficiency. It also confirms our know-how in electric and hybrid vehicle technology worldwide," said Jacques Aschenbroich, Valeo CEO.

The car, the first result of the partnership signed between Valeo and BAIC in early 2010, is just the precursor of a series model which is expected to be introduced by BAIC onto the market next year. Valoe also presented an EV at the 2010 Paris Auto Show back in October.

As it happened then, the car was only presented as a means to “show,” and not to “tell.” There are no performance figures available yet. More information about the project is expected to be released in 2011, prior to the vehicle's presentation and launch.

Valeo is one of the biggest automotive suppliers in the world, operating 117 plants, 21 research centers, 40 development centers and 10 distribution platforms. It also employs 56,000 people in 27 countries.