Consortium for a French Industrial Electric Drive-train

PARIS, FRANCE – June 24, 2009: Six industrial companies in France are pooling their expertise and know-how in order to promote an electric drive-train industry for vehicles.

The role of each of the partners is the following:

Valeo – the drive-train electronics and thermal management of the vehicle

Leroy Somer – the electric motor

Johnson Controls-Saft – the battery system

GKN – the transmission

Michelin – low rolling-resistance tyres and work on the active-wheel

Leoni – the development and production of automotive cables and harnesses.

These 6 industrial groups will propose different projects, through their consortium, to the French environment agency (Ademe) at the end of June 2009. The drive-trains that the consortium develops will become a reference for other national and international programmes.

The objective is to bring together French industrial companies to propose industrial solutions to car manufacturers that are specifically designed for low emission vehicles.