Dana Adds to Global E-Propulsion Manufacturing Footprint

Dana's facility in Pune, India, will open later this year. (Dana)

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Dana Inc. announced its latest push for a larger presence in global e-propulsion systems by expanding production of its TM4 low- to high-voltage electric motors, inverters and vehicle control units to India.

Located in Pune, the new facility will be Dana’s 18th in India, and its operations will include manufacturing, assembly, technical and administrative functions.

The facility, scheduled to open later this year, will supply technologies to manufacturers for a variety of electrified vehicle applications, including buses and trucks.

Bryan

With its in-house capabilities, Dana is positioning itself to serve as a preferred supplier in the Asia-Pacific region while promoting India’s position as a “rising global leader” in mobile electrification technologies, according to the Maumee, Ohio-based company.

“Our supply strategy is largely supported by building where we sell and we expect this new facility to primarily provide products for India and the surrounding markets. Dana operates 150 major facilities in 34 countries and regularly shares best practices throughout our operations,” spokesman Jared Bryan told Transport Topics.

Dana has made eight acquisitions since 2017 to bolster its electrodynamic portfolio, and the company’ offers system integration competencies including motors, inverters, controls and software, as well as thermal management products for batteries and power electronics.

At the same time, it has added significant Asian manufacturing capacity, and supplemented local engineering and customer support meant to fortify the company’s expertise in managing complex global development programs.

Dana’s presence in India dates to the 1960s and the company manufactures axles, drive shafts, sealing and thermal technologies for the automotive, commercial and off-highway vehicle markets. More than 5,000 employees currently work for Dana in India. The company’s Dana India Technical Center in Pune has more than 250 engineers and serves as a technology hub for Dana globally.

In related news, the government of the Indian state of Telangana announced in August its Telangana State Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Solution Policy to promote electric mobility and attract investments in the sector.

This includes, according to the environmental group NRDC, electric vehicle sales targets for 2025 of:

• 80%, two- and three-wheelers (motorcycles, scooters, autorickshaws)
• 70%, commercial cars (ride-hailing companies, such as Ola and Uber)
• 40%, buses
• 30%, private cars
• 15%, electrification of all vehicles

Pune is located in the neighboring state of Maharashtra.

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Meanwhile, Dana anticipates Classes 4-5 trucks will be the first to deploy electrification in a widespread manner in North America.

“Over the past couple of years, we have made major investments in motors, inverters, e-axles, software capabilities in the range of $300 million to make sure we are set up for the short term and long term as far as how our industry is changing,” said Tim Farney, Dana’s vice president of global vehicles, earlier this year. “We want to position ourselves as a leader in this e-propulsion area, so we are going all-in on it.”

Dana has launched an e-axle in a Class 3 vehicle in China.

TM4 is a joint venture between Dana and Hydro-Québec, Canada’s largest electricity producer and one of the world’s largest hydroelectric power producers. In 2018, Dana and Hydro-Québec announced a joint-venture partnership in which TM4 Inc., a subsidiary of Hydro-Québec, become Dana’s source for electric motors, power inverters and control systems. As part of this agreement, Dana become a majority shareholder of TM4 in exchange for about $127 million.

Hydro-Québec maintains a 45% interest in TM4.

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