Industry Acquisition & Investments | Engine + Powertrain Technology

BorgWarner secures long-term supply agreement with off-highway OEM

Zahra Awan — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:51:27 +0000

BorgWarner has secured a seven-year contract extension to supply eight families of engine, machine, power module and battery management system controllers to a world-leading off-highway manufacturer, running through December 2032. The extension builds on decades of partnership with the OEM and spans a broad range of applications, from construction vehicles and marine platforms to stationary power systems.

“BorgWarner has an outstanding relationship with this leading off-highway manufacturer, a customer we have been supplying critical parts to for several decades, and we are thrilled to continue to grow with them as their volumes increase for various market segments and applications,” said Dr Stefan Demmerle, vice president of BorgWarner and president and general manager of PowerDrive Systems. “This contract expansion validates our position as a trusted, long-term propulsion partner that is agile enough to support them and provide tailored solutions as they expand into new, emerging markets.”

BorgWarner’s engine controllers are engineered to enable efficient combustion and minimized emissions across large diesel applications, supporting a wide range of sensors, actuators and heavy-duty injection systems. The company’s machine controllers process operator inputs to precisely direct actuators that control machine movement, ensuring smooth, safe operation in demanding environments such as excavation and construction. BorgWarner will also supply power module controllers for the manufacturer’s electric machines and battery management system controllers.

Project Cavendish: Mahle hydrogen-fueled 13-liter engine matches diesel performance

Zahra Awan — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:37:40 +0000

Mahle Powertrain has achieved a major milestone in Project Cavendish, successfully converting a 13-liter heavy-duty engine to run purely on hydrogen. The converted engine has matched the maximum torque of the diesel baseline engine, and measured engine-out NOX suggests that emissions can be readily maintained below 0.2g/kWh across the entire engine operating map using existing aftertreatment technology.

Launched in early 2023, Project Cavendish is a £9.8m (US$13.2m) program supported by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) to develop end-to-end hydrogen powertrain capability for heavy-duty applications and enable the UK’s transition to net zero transportation. As part of the project, Mahle Powertrain has upgraded its testing infrastructure in Northampton for hydrogen operation.

“This milestone demonstrates that hydrogen combustion has a place as a clean fuel in the heavy-duty market,” said Jonathan Hall, head of research and advanced engineering at Mahle Powertrain. “Achieving the target torque and low raw engine-out emissions from a hydrogen-fueled 13-liter heavy-duty engine represents a significant step forward, both for Mahle Powertrain and for the wider industry, as we move toward practical hydrogen combustion solutions for heavy-duty applications.”

Achieving target torque is just the first step, says Mahle; the bigger challenge in hydrogen combustion is controlling NOX emissions. The measured raw engine-out emissions of its converted engine are very low and the addition of a simple selective catalytic reduction (SCR) aftertreatment system will enable the tailpipe emissions to be significantly less than EU VII limits. The measured particulate emissions were negligible and readily manageable using existing particulate filter technology. The results demonstrate that hydrogen combustion engines offer a practical, fast-to-market pathway toward zero-carbon heavy-duty transportation.

Project Cavendish also aims to facilitate wider hydrogen adoption by creating opportunities for external partners to undertake hydrogen engine testing at Mahle Powertrain’s facility in Northampton. The site serves as a center of excellence for the design, development, calibration and testing of all aspects of hydrogen and renewable-fuel powertrain engineering. Mahle Powertrain has reported growing interest from new customers and expects commercialization of its hydrogen and renewable fuels infrastructure to expand significantly over the coming year.

The project brings together expertise from Mahle Powertrain, Phinia, BorgWarner, Cambustion, Hartridge and Oxford Brookes University to deliver the next generation of hydrogen combustion technology.

Interoperability and cross‑domain collaboration take center stage at ASAM’s Technical Seminar 2026

Charlotte Iggulden — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:22:15 +0000

ASAM’s 2026 Technical Seminar took place on March 18 in Munich, Germany, and offered insight into automotive standardization amid rapid technological change.

The agenda covered simulation, data management, diagnostics and test automation, with discussions underscoring interoperability, simulation credibility and data‑centric development. These themes emerged across sessions on ASAM standards OpenDrive, OpenScenario, OSI, ODS, SOVD, XIL, OTX, CMP, and digital‑twin integration through the Asset Administration Shell (AAS).

Cross-standard harmonization and the need to align toolchains across domains, suppliers and development stages remain priorities, with speakers citing inconsistent interpretations of ASAM specifications as a cause of fragmentation. Updates included co‑simulation workflows, higher‑fidelity OpenX modeling, interoperable data management, modular measurement architectures, digital‑twin concepts, ODD taxonomies and simulation‑quality assessment.

Regional updates and roadmap

Updates from ASAM’s ambassadors in China, Korea, Japan and the USA were shared by CATARC technical director Bolin Zhou, IVH CEO Daeoh Kang and ASAM Japan representative Yoshiaki Shoi. Priorities included co-simulation and merging standards in China; sensor simulation and ASAM SOVD in Japan; and study groups in South Korea supporting global application of standards, such as ASAM OpenDrive.

BMW IT specialist Michael Schwarzbach outlined the 2026 Technical Steering Committee roadmap, highlighting ODD-based testing, collaboration improvements, harmonized standards and a common ontology.

OpenX updates

ASAM technology managers Ahmed Sadek and Yash Shah (below) presented ASAM OpenX updates. Previous OpenX models defined traffic participants independently, creating toolchain inconsistencies. New concepts for ASAM’s simulation standards include combining ASAM OpenDrive with the Quantifying Simulation Quality (QSQ) initiative, and ASAM OSI adding high-fidelity sensor simulation support, such as spectral irradiance and radar waveforms. “No standard is developed in a silo,” Shah said. “We think feature-based, then collect standards experts for harmonization.”

Simulation integration

Clemens Linnhoff, founder and CTO at Persival, demonstrated co-simulation between Scenario Player and Sensor Model, with all assets linked in ASAM OpenScenario as a single source of truth.

ASAM ODS, MDF, CMP and digital twins

Technica Engineering technical fellow and head of media relations Lars Völker outlined Capture Module Protocol (ASAM CMP) improvements. “Before 2022, in‑vehicle DAQ was vendor‑specific and non‑modular. CMP 1.0 introduced modular DAQ and support for heterogeneous technologies. New use cases support raw Ethernet and define message transport across the vehicle system. Scaling HIL and test setups enables an elastic measurement infrastructure.”

Using slides from the Industrial Digital Twin Association (IDTA), Stefan Romainczyk, senior product manager at Peak Solution, said, “Today’s digital twins are proprietary and one lifecycle element, whereas future twins have a complete lifecycle with efficient scaling. With ASAM ODS, AAS can create a comprehensive data profile for digital twins – standardized interoperability improves predictive maintenance, time and cost.”

SDV diagnostics updates

Following the launch of ASAM SOVD 1.2 in February with 29 global OEMs and suppliers, Vector Informatik manager Tobias Weidmann presented at the seminar the latest activities in the development of the standard. ISO 17978-4 Remote Access covers how to access vehicle information via authorization and defining the access path; possibilities include functional communication, new access methods to log information via a streaming interface, and large file handling via third-party service providers.

ODD taxonomy and AV deployment

Andreas Richter (below), engineering program manager – Operational Design Domains, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, outlined ASAM OpenODD implementation within MOIA America, VW’s autonomous‑mobility affiliate, formerly known as ADMT. VW Commercial Vehicles is the first group brand to introduce SAE Level 4 autonomous driving using the ID Buzz platform with integrated third‑party automated‑driving systems. Testing is underway in Hamburg and Munich in Germany, Oslo in Norway, and in Austin, Texas.

Richter noted that the industry is not always clear on ‘ODD’, ‘taxonomy’, ‘service area’ and ‘scenarios’. “To bring autonomous driving to life, we have to agree on the same terms,” he said, calling for ODD definitions that are unambiguously readable by humans and machines, supported by geodata analysis and enterprise‑ready tools for ODD and scenario management.

“ASAM OpenODD offers a taxonomy-agnostic, modular model to represent ODDs in different technical formats, [and] support development, storage and processing in a machine and human-readable way,” he explained. “Originally intended for scenario-based testing, ODD definition is now required in more process steps for developing, testing, approving and operating ADS. The ODD as a single point of knowledge ensures OEMs and authorities share definitions.”

VW’s internal elaborated ODD taxonomy demonstrates how modular definitions support understanding across organizations and regulators. The ODD management toolchain validates taxonomies and module definitions, supports multilingual concepts and connects to scenario‑creation and requirements‑management workflows. Using STIEF (scenario-accompanied, text-base, iterative evaluation of automated driving functions), engineers can preload scenario definitions via natural‑language inputs, while geodata analysis identifies new operational areas and generates challenging test routes.

Simulation credibility

In an ASAM QSQ update, Automotive Artificial Intelligence’s general manager Basit Khan highlighted the challenge of trusting simulation for virtual homologation.

“No standardized quality metrics exist for simulation frameworks, especially ADAS/AD sensors,” he said. “Many contributors – OEMs, suppliers, research and tool vendors – have different priorities and vocabulary. Through working groups spanning use cases, camera, lidar, radar and vehicle dynamics, our goal is to drive cross-sector innovation by building a unified standard upon proven, existing components. By harmonizing established concepts, we can create a practical framework that ensures simulation reliability without reinventing the wheel.”

Research and collaborations

Fraunhofer IOSB’s research group leader Jens Ziehn reported on how ASAM helps scale R&D results, for example where ASAM’s OpenDrive, OpenLabel and OpenScenario are used to deliver interoperability and reusable data across diverse acquisition sources in the AVEAS Brave10K project to scale automated driving in public transportation.

SAE’s Ed Straub outlined ASAM’s collaboration with SAE J3259 (ODD taxonomy), while ASCS’s Alexander Walsh emphasized the complementary role of ASCS and ASAM in simulation, AI and HPC.

UKi brand manager for automotive events Charlotte Iggulden

Industry collaboration continues at Vehicle Tech Week Europe

Vehicle Tech Week Europe, represented by ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International, Automotive Testing Technology International and Automotive Interiors World, served as ASAM’s media partner.

Launching this June in Stuttgart, Germany, the three-day ‘festival of engineering’ will unite the full vehicle‑technology ecosystem – from EV and battery testing to autonomous‑vehicle development, UX/HMI, materials engineering and in‑cabin innovation – creating cross‑disciplinary value at a time when the industry faces intense technological and regulatory pressure.

ASAM is an association partner of Vehicle Tech Week Europe, and Yash Shah and Andreas Richter will continue their discussions about ASAM OpenX evolution and ODDs at the event.

Learn about Vehicle Tech Week’s partnerships here.

Find out more about ASAM’s International Conference, which will take place on November 4 and 5, 2026.

Horse Powertrain launches kAIros initiative to expand industrial AI capabilities

Zahra Awan — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:23:08 +0000

The company-wide kAIros AI initiative aims to improve efficiency in support of the company’s ambitions to reduce time-to-market by nearly 50%, cut low-value process work by 40% and increase design cycle efficiency by 25%. Supported by Nvidia, Google Cloud and Deloitte, kAIros is intended to enhance how the company designs, engineers, manufactures and operates across its business.

kAIros is part of Horse Powertrain‘s wider strategy to strengthen the competitiveness of advanced manufacturing in Europe through the use of AI in development, simulation and industrial operations. By combining advanced supercomputing with cloud platforms, the company aims to provide the computing power, security and scalability needed to support these activities and enhance its long-term innovation capabilities.

AI Factory to support industrial AI applications

At the heart of kAIros is the Horse Powertrain AI Factory, supporting AI use cases across engineering and production, including model training, simulation and digital twins, with the aim of accelerating industrial innovation and real-world deployment. A key part of the concept is the generation of training data to help continuously improve models and digital twins over time.

These capabilities enable the company to run advanced simulations and optimize operations in real time across products, factories, warehouses and logistics, with Google Gemini Enterprise used to deploy AI agents across the business, helping reduce coordination tasks that add limited value.

kAIros also supports physical AI by linking real-world operations with virtual systems in real time. This enables systems to interpret their environment, support autonomous decision-making, and interact with cobots, automated guided vehicles and smart machines. Applications include automated video-based quality inspection, faster product simulation and robotics for process optimization.

A dedicated Center of Excellence will lead the development of internal AI capabilities, bringing together cross-functional teams to build applications and scale expertise across the organization. Alongside this, the AI Factory will support scenario simulation, algorithm optimization and the development of intelligent propulsion solutions to improve efficiency and predictive performance. The initiative also aims to build long-term industrial AI capability to support advanced manufacturing in Europe.

Patrice Haettel, COO of Horse Powertrain and chief executive officer of Horse Technologies, said, “Industry advances at moments when technology doesn’t just follow change – it drives it. With kAIros, we are taking a decisive step into a new era where AI can redefine speed, cost, efficiency and sustainability.

“Our goal is to turn data into knowledge, simulations into real value, and innovation into competitive advantage. Horse Powertrain aims to be more agile and reliable because we understand that AI is not just a tool and kAIros is among the first AI factories in Europe for the automotive industry.”

Denso and Next Core Technologies partner on high-efficiency motor core technology

Zahra Awan — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:58:47 +0000

The adoption of electric vehicles – BEVs, PHEVs and HEVs – is expected to increase in the mid to long term as the auto industry pursues carbon neutrality. Market demand for improved power efficiency is continuing to grow as a result, with motor generators, which play a critical role in extending driving range and improving the performance of electrified vehicles, increasingly required to operate at higher efficiency.

To meet these market needs, reducing power loss in motor generators is essential. Among various approaches, iron-based amorphous alloys – which can significantly reduce iron loss occurring in motor cores – are considered a promising material to realize high-efficiency motors.

In support of this, Denso has invested in Next Core Technologies (NCT) to co-develop advanced motor cores using amorphous alloy technology. The collaboration will combine NCT’s materials and processing expertise with Denso’s motor generator development capabilities, with the goal of enabling mass production of highly efficient motor cores for next-generation applications.

Swindon Powertrain celebrates 10 years as Bosch Motorsport dealer

Zahra Awan — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:28:33 +0000

Swindon Powertrain has hit the decade milestone as a Bosch Motorsport dealer, providing motorsport teams with access to Bosch’s electronics and technical expertise. Since becoming an official dealer in 2016, the company has supported hundreds of UK-based teams across multiple categories, helping them leverage Bosch’s high-performance systems to gain a competitive edge.

The company supplies the full range of Bosch Motorsport products, including sensors, engine control units, display systems and wiring solutions for a wide variety of motorsport applications. As well as component supply, Swindon Powertrain offers in-house engineering support, assisting teams with everything from product selection to system integration and on-track troubleshooting.

“The Bosch brand is synonymous with quality and performance, so to represent this leading name is a privilege,” said Raphaël Caillé, managing director of Swindon Powertrain. “Our dedicated team is proud to mark this long-standing partnership, during which we have worked diligently to help UK race teams with high-performance solutions. We look forward to continuing to help customers achieve their full potential on track.”

Alan Bell, senior manager at Bosch Motorsport UK, added “Every Bosch Motorsport official dealer is carefully selected to ensure they uphold the quality, precision and technical excellence associated with the Bosch brand. We have found an outstanding partner in Swindon Powertrain. Both companies deliver solutions that have been proven time and time again in the toughest of race conditions. We’re delighted to continue this complementary alliance so Bosch Motorsport customers in the UK continue to receive world-class products and the highest levels of technical support.”

Holyvolt and Wildcat merge to accelerate battery innovation

Zahra Awan — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 17:27:59 +0000

Holyvolt has acquired Wildcat Discovery Technologies to develop, optimize and manufacture next-generation batteries.

Mark Gresser, the president and CEO of Wildcat Discovery Technologies, said, “The Wildcat team is thrilled with this acquisition by Holyvolt. Mathias and team are very thoughtful with regard to their objectives in the battery industry, and recognize the value that wildcat’s high-throughput platform can deliver to our combined company and the industry at large. With Holyvolt’s vision and financial backing, Wildcat can finally unlock the true potential of high-throughput combinatorial chemistry for battery materials.”

The acquisition creates a group with end-to-end capabilities, spanning molecular discovery to pilot-scale production through a fully integrated high-throughput platform. It combines Holyvolt’s screen-printing and water-based process technology with Wildcat’s proprietary high-throughput platform (HTP), which rapidly generates large structured datasets for AI-driven analysis and accelerated development.

Mathias Ingvarsson, the founder and CEO of Holyvolt, added, “The acquisition of Wildcat is a perfect complement to our intended strategy of developing new technologies for the battery industry. Holyvolt is focused on developing new processes to make batteries cleaner and more affordable, and Wildcat has been pursuing the same goals via materials development and better chemistry. Combined, we are building what we believe is the most compelling technology to deliver on these objectives.”

The announcement comes after Holyvolt’s recent €20m (US$23m) funding round and strengthens the company’s technical capabilities across the global battery sector, serving industries such as automotive, consumer electronics, aerospace, energy storage and defense. The combined entity will support partners across the entire battery supply chain as a technology development partner, offering commercialization models, including licensing, tailored to each customer’s needs.

Protean Electric joins EXEDY to accelerate in-wheel motor production and market expansion

Zahra Awan — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 17:12:30 +0000

Protean Electric has been acquired by EXEDY from vehicle electrification technology provider BEDEO Group.

EXEDY CEO Tetsuya Yoshinaga, said, “Our acquisition of Protean allows EXEDY to address the ongoing shift toward electrification in the automotive industry, a key pillar of our business. Protean is a market leader that develops, manufactures and sells in-wheel motors – drive motors integrated into the wheels – which already has a track record of commercial deployment. Through the acquisition, EXEDY intends to combine the technological strengths of both companies to continue providing competitive products and services.”

With the support of EXEDY, Protean aims to scale production of its in-wheel motor technology to meet growing market demand while achieving industrial volumes and competitive costs. As the automotive sector accelerates its transition toward electrification and software-defined vehicle platforms, the backing of an established Tier 1 supplier provides a strong foundation for the continued development and broader commercialization of Protean’s products.

“This transaction represents a major step in the adoption of ProteanDrive as a mainstream drivetrain solution for the automotive industry,” said Protean Electric CEO Andrew Whitehead. “Our acquisition by EXEDY allows our OEM customers to confidently enable their future products with in-wheel motors. The potential for ProteanDrive to allow OEMs to deliver better electric vehicles has been clear to many for years – this transaction provides us with the industrial scale to offer a sustainable, cost-competitive product that turns the potential into reality.”

Protean thanked BEDEO for its stewardship, during which the company achieved several industry milestones, including securing a production nomination from a mainstream OEM, industrializing its Pd18 product under IATF 16949 standards and homologating the first electric passenger vehicle equipped with in-wheel motors.

Osman Boyner, BEDEO CEO and founder, commented, “I wish Protean all the best as they begin a new chapter under EXEDY. Even before our acquisition of Protean in 2021, BEDEO was a great supporter of the technology and we will continue to be a customer and partner in the retrofit market with Protean in the future. I look forward to continuing the journey with them and EXEDY.”

Alpine and Phinia continue Formula 1 and Alpenglow partnership

Zahra Awan — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:29:19 +0000

Phinia and Alpine are continuing to work together to drive innovation in high-performance motorsport and advanced propulsion technologies. Under its aftermarket brand Delphi, Phinia will build on its multi-year collaboration with the BWT Alpine Formula One Team as the sport enters a technically and competitively intense period ahead of the 2026 season. For the second consecutive year, the Delphi logo will appear on the team’s single-seaters and associated commercial assets, reinforcing its presence on the global F1 calendar and its reputation as a trusted automotive aftermarket supplier.

“Motorsport has always been a critical environment for accelerating innovation, and our partnership with Alpine reflects a shared belief in the value of engineering-led progress,” said Todd Anderson, chief technology officer, Phinia. “These programs allow us to develop and validate advanced fuel systems technology under the most demanding conditions, supporting both high-performance applications today and the evolution of future propulsion technologies.”

Accelerating hydrogen internal combustion technology

This partnership further advances Phinia’s role in Alpine’s Alpenglow hydrogen program, aimed at maximizing the performance potential of hydrogen internal combustion engines (H₂ICE) in high-performance applications. Leveraging Phinia’s hydrogen direct injection system, Alpine has progressed its Alpenglow Hy4 concept to the new Hy6 hydrogen engine, marking a key technical milestone. The Alpenglow Hy6 now features a six-cylinder configuration and has reached speeds of up to 312.9km/h during demonstrations at the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship and the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Pierre-Jean Tardy, chief engineer, hydrogen, Alpine Racing, said, “Motorsport is evolving rapidly and our strive for continuous innovation requires partners who can keep pace, combining long-term vision with proven engineering depth. Phinia is a trusted technical partner for Alpine, and this partnership reflects the confidence we have in their ability to deliver advanced fuel system solutions pioneering hydrogen internal combustion.”

Anderson added, “Our partnership underlines the capability of H₂ICE technology to meet the demands of top-tier motorsport while supporting longer-term decarbonization ambitions. By applying our hydrogen direct injection expertise in a competitive racing environment, we are helping to demonstrate that H₂ICE can deliver performance, efficiency and control at scale – insights that are critical as the industry explores multiple pathways toward lower-carbon propulsion.”