Mahle Opens New Research and Development Center For Electronics in Valencia

Mahle opened a new research and development center in Valencia, Spain. The center will have a workforce of approximately 250 employees who will deal with the development of new products and solutions for sustainable mobility.

Electronic systems have become more and more important in modern vehicles. In the future, the powertrain will comprise interconnected hardware and software components all of which which will communicate and interact intelligently within the vehicle. Mahle is continuously ramping up its activities in the area of electronics to advance future mobility solutions, and the company’s new research and development center in Valencia will play a key role in this strategy.

Commenting on the new center, Dr. Jörg Stratmann, chairman of the management board and CEO of the MAHLE Group said that as a developer of new and climate-friendly mobility solutions, the company believes in the need for ongoing development of e-mobility. Mahle is strengthening its competence in the area of power electronics with its new research and development center so that it can become a holistic systems supplier in this field.

Mahle plans on developing power electronics and software solutions like those needed for electric drive systems and auxiliary components, charge management systems, or heating and cooling systems in Valencia. Another area the center will focus on is the validation of systems in accordance with the standards of the automotive industry.

To effectively advance the electrification of vehicles, MAHLE has combined its activities relating to electric drives, actuators and auxiliaries, as well as control and power electronics in the Mechatronics division. These products are used in passenger cars, commercial vehicles and off-highway vehicles.

Wilhelm Emperhoff, member of the management board of the MAHLE Group, responsible for the Filtration and Engine Peripherals business unit as well as the Mechatronics division said that Valencia is an ideal choice for research and development as it has excellent universities. He expressed his hope that the company’s new research and development center would attract the next generation of engineers who are keen to work on electronics development.

Mahle’s ultimate goal is to make individual mobility more climate-friendly and sustainable and for this, the company is pursuing a dual strategy. While it will work intensively on the further optimization of the combustion engine on the one hand, it will also develop solutions for the widespread adoption of e-mobility on the other.