MAHLE and the U.S. company Midtronics, Inc., two leading providers of aftermarket service, have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop service equipment for electric vehicles. The aim of the partnership is to offer workshops a safe, simple and effective service for the important Li-ion battery. The offer will range from battery diagnostics to maintenance – regardless of brand and throughout the entire life cycle of batteries and vehicles.
MAHLE brings its knowledge and experience in refrigerant and fluid service, ADAS calibration, BatteryPRO solutions, and vehicle diagnostics to the partnership. Midtronics contributes with its leading position and technology in the monitoring, inspection, diagnosis and maintenance of low- and high-voltage batteries. Together, the two companies will be able to offer a complete range of services for electric vehicle batteries, which will be a large part of the future business of independent garages.
“In the age of electromobility, battery service will take on a completely new meaning for independent workshops. With our partnership with Midtronics, we are opening a new chapter for service equipment,” said Georges Mourad, Director Global Service Solutions at MAHLE.
“Due to the speed at which battery and electric vehicle technology are developing, no company in the automotive service world has been able to provide such a service so far. This partnership brings together two leading companies that will make the transition to EV service faster and easier,” said Will Sampson, President of Midtronics.
With the transformation to electric mobility, the cost and complexity of batteries and systems for the automotive aftermarket are one of the biggest challenges in its history. The battery itself can represent over 25 percent of the total cost of the vehicle and varies greatly from vehicle to vehicle. At the same time, by 2035, the proportion of vehicles with electric drive systems (battery-electric and hybrid vehicles) will rise to 95 percent in Europe, 90 percent in China and 75 percent in North America. The battery service could therefore soon represent half of the total services provided by the workshops.
