Toyo Tire & Rubber Co, Ltd announced that it had recently agreed and started to tackle the joint development of a suspension module for EVs (Electric Vehicles) with GLM Co, Ltd, an EV manufacturer, to meet society’s future mobility demands.
Collaborative Development of Suspension Module for Electric Vehicles with GLM
The development of EVs powered by electric motors has accelerated worldwide, with many different automobile manufacturers mapping out their own mass production plans in quick succession. Because EVs run so much quieter, the performance requirements for the components used in EVs differ from those for combustion engine vehicles. In particular, any rubber products made for EVs must provide a different level of functionality and performance from conventional vehicles, such as being much quieter, and optimal damping control to vibration generated from such sources as uneven road surfaces and the e-motors.
GLM – the company’s joint development partner – launched full-scale mass-production of its Tommykaira ZZ electric sports car in October 2015. The following year, GLM attracted much attention when it presented the concept car GLM G4 as a futuristic electric supercar at the Paris Motor Show 2016. GLM not only develops and distributes complete vehicles, but also sets up a ‘platform business’ providing a platform that is considered the heart of the vehicle or the parts thereof, developmental expertise and a collaborative relationship with automotive companies and organisations (GLM Ecosystem) for non-automotive manufacturers as a core of its business.
Toyo’s automotive products, such as tyres and air suspension, are seen as an integral part of vibration control and play an important role in maintaining quietness, comfort and safety. It says it would promote the development of a ‘modular suspension system for EVs’ that combines Individual purpose products, including tyres, as part of its business source development with a close eye on future mobility. The primary parts being promoted for development by the companies are ‘active air suspension to ensure a smooth flat ride’. Toyo has launched development of the modules to be mounted on vehicles in line with its mid-term vision with an eye on commercialisation within 2020. This is managed under the plan for joint development of a next-generation active suspension in which electronic control technology is embedded and applied to air suspension while receiving the necessary information regarding active suspensions, suspension systems and elemental technologies for the overall vehicle, and support related to knowledge accumulated as an automobile manufacturer from GLM.
From this fiscal year, Toyo has begun to tackle business focused on ‘mobility’ including automotive tyres and components as a management entity. It takes the view that jointly developing product modules for EVs with GLM as a partner would contribute to expanding the potential for deepening and advancing the future vehicle. The company aims to become a supplier that could propose greatly added value by accumulating experience in total design and packaging of suspension modules specifically to resolve the unique technical issues confronting EVs through its collaboration with GLM.
Both companies released statements to mark the recent launch of this joint development.
- Hiroyasu Koma, Representative Director & President, GLM Co, Ltd.
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co, Ltd has exceptional expertise in air suspension technology. They are keen to develop new products as implied by their excellent development resources. Having such a development partner enables us to add attractive technology to our exciting products. We believe that the flat-ride technology that we are jointly working to develop would become a core technology for electric vehicles, given their superior quiet performance. This technology is becoming the de facto standard for premium segment vehicles, the share of which has grown in line with global economic growth. I expect massive needs for general vehicles in emerging countries where road conditions are insufficient and transportation for people and luggage once the cost is reduced following a shift to mass production.
- Masayuki Kanai, Senior Corporate Officer in charge of Engineering Control Department, Toyo Tire & Rubber Co, Ltd.
GLM is an emerging EV manufacturer born out of Kyoto University’s electric vehicle development project. GLM has succeeded in developing and bringing EVs to production from scratch, and thus has a frontier spirit in searching for future vehicle options through partnerships with a variety of companies. I feel a sense of kinship between GLM’s progressive spirit and creativity and our corporate culture. We will maximise our technological potential, achieve a new level of integrated performance for each proven component and would like to realise modular production of indispensable and value-added suspension system components for our future vehicle.
东洋轮胎与GLM联手开发悬挂组件
东洋轮胎及橡胶有限公司最近与电动汽车制作商GLM有限公司，达成联手开发电动汽车悬挂组件的协议，以迎合未来社会对流动性的需求。
随着电动引擎驱动的电动汽车在全球发展加速，不同的汽车制造商快速且接连地制定了他们的批量生产计划。由于电动汽车行驶起来比较安静，电动汽车所需要的零部件不同于那些使用内燃机的汽车。尤其是任何为电动汽车制造的橡胶产品必须提供与传统汽车不同程度的功能和性能 ，比如必须更安静、优化的阻尼控制，减少来自不均匀路面和电动引擎的振动。
东洋的合作伙伴GLM曾在2015年推出全尺寸的批量生产Tommykaira ZZ电动跑车 。第二年，GLM在 2016年巴黎汽车展中展示了他们的未来概念车GLM G4电动超跑。GLM不仅只是开发和经销完整汽车，也建立起一个“业务平台”，提供被认为是汽车中心或 其部分、开发专长、与汽车公司和非汽车制造商组织（GLM 环保系统）合作，作为其核心业务。
东洋汽车产品如轮胎和空气悬挂，被认为是振动控制的重要部分，并在静音、舒适及安全性方面扮演着一个重要的角色。它表示将密切关注未来流动性，推广结合个别目产品，包括轮胎，作为其业务来源发展潜能之一的“电动汽车悬挂系统组件”开发。
两家公司所推广的主要部件开发是“积极空气悬挂，确保一个平坦顺畅的乘驾”。东洋的中期愿景是推出可以安装在车子上的组件，并希望在2020年内将之商业化。这将附属在与汽车制造商GLM联手发展的下一代积极悬挂计划下，电子控制系统将嵌入和应用在空气悬挂上，并接收有关积极悬挂、悬挂系统及整辆汽车的元素科技所需要的信息，从支持相关性到累积知识。
在这个财政年，作为管理企业的东洋轮胎开始注重“流动性”，包括汽车轮胎和零部件。它认为与GLM联手发展电动汽车产品组件，将有助于深化和推进未来汽车的潜能。该公司旨在通过与GLM的合作，成为一个能够提供巨大附加值的供应商， 透过其累积的悬挂组件的整体设计和包装经验，特别是在解决电动汽车所面对的独特技术问题 。
在最近的联合开发推介中，两家公司分别发布声明：
GLM有限公司董事及总裁代表Hiroyasu Koma
东洋轮胎及橡胶公司在空气悬挂系统方面拥有卓越的专长。他们热衷于开发新产品，正如其杰出开发资源所暗示的那样。拥有这样的一个伙伴，让我们能为我们的精彩产品添加吸引人的科技。我们深信这项我们联手进行的平坦乘驾技术开发，将成为电动汽车的主要技术，为它们带来卓越的安静性能。这项技术，将成为正随着全球经济同步增长的优质车辆领域的事实标准。一旦成本因批量生产而下降，我预期在路况欠佳的新兴国家，人和行李运输领域会对一般车辆有着巨大需求。
东洋橡胶及轮胎有限公司负责工程控制部的高级企业职员Masayuki Kanai
GLM 是诞生于京都大学电动汽车部门计划的新兴电动汽车制造商 。它成功从零开始开发和生产电动汽车，因此在寻求不同公司作为未来汽车伙伴方面非常积极。GLM的进取精神和创意，与我们公司的文化有着犹如亲属般的共同点。我们将最大化提升我们的技术潜能，在每一个已获证实的组件上达致新的集成性能水平，并为我们的未来汽车提供不可或缺和拥有附加值的悬挂系统组件。 ”
