Saietta Group plc, a British electric drivetrain (eDrive) specialist, has announced the completion of an entirely new Vehicle Control Unit (VCU), co-developed with HCLTech, specifically tailored for lightweight electric vehicles (LEVs) with three or four wheels in Asia. This addition to Saietta’s existing portfolio of motor, controller, and transmission products enhances the company’s ability to provide OEMs with complete eDrive solutions that can be easily and cost-effectively customized for specific applications.
The manufacturing of the VCU will take place in India through Saietta VNA, a joint venture between Saietta Group and Padmini VNA. The initial units will be delivered as part of comprehensive eDrive solutions to one of the largest manufacturers of three- and four-wheel LEVs in India. As previously announced on December 6, 2022, this eDrive supply agreement entails the delivery of a minimum of 80,000 complete systems over the first five years, with deliveries set to commence in Q4 2023.
The partnership with HCLTech aims to facilitate the development of a scalable, modular, safe, and secure VCU architecture for LEVs, optimizing their performance and managing various critical vehicle functions.
Tony Gott, Executive Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer of Saietta Group plc, stated, “Just like all components of our cutting-edge eDrive solutions, the VCU is designed to be cost-effective for the Asian market and offers high modularity. This enables our engineers to precisely tailor its functionality to meet the specific requirements of our customers, giving them a competitive edge. We seek to collaborate with the best partners in the industry with a proven track record of delivering innovative solutions at the right scale, on time, within budget, and with exceptional quality. HCLTech exemplifies such leadership, and we are honored to work alongside them to contribute to improving air quality in mega-cities worldwide.”
VCUs – The Brains Behind Next-Generation LEVs in Asia
A Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) serves as the central “brain” of a vehicle, managing crucial vehicle systems like torque control, battery energy management, and regenerative braking. It ensures these systems work harmoniously and efficiently, providing a safe and effective driving experience.
While lightweight vehicles in Asia, such as rickshaws powered by internal combustion engines, have a simplistic electrical architecture that doesn’t require a VCU, LEVs present a more complex electrical setup. They need to control functions like the distribution of electrical energy to the traction motors, monitoring battery health, and optimizing the charging process. Saietta anticipates that future legislation and customer demand for a more refined driving experience will make VCUs a standard feature in LEVs across Asia. Consequently, the company co-developed a highly modular VCU with HCLTech, which can be configured to optimize the entire electric powertrain’s operation, managing the motor, controller, transmission, batteries, battery charging, and various other critical vehicle functions.
Saietta’s Growing Presence in India
This collaboration with HCLTech further strengthens Saietta’s foothold in India. In March of this year, the British eDrive developer announced a transmission supply contract with AVTEC, one of India’s largest independent manufacturers of powertrain and precision-engineered products. Saietta VNA will produce electric motors and inverters in its Indian manufacturing facility and combine them with transmissions from AVTEC, manufactured at their Indian plant. These resulting 48V-96V eDrive solutions are designed to be lightweight, compact, and competitively priced for the Indian LEV market.