In a move contrary to that of Ford, Volkswagen, the multinational that is the largest vehicle manufacturer in the world, invests in the production of the first electric truck in Brazil

The multinational Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus announces the installation of Batteries Moura in its industrial complex, located in Resende (RJ). The battery supplier arrives with the mission of meeting specific e-Delivery processes, the first electric truck in Brazil, starting this semester. The boss of the multinational recently announced the cessation of production of gasoline and diesel combustion engines.

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In addition to providing a battery system, the Moura battery company will be responsible for assembly, vehicle electrification and battery cycle management, according to Auto Industria.

Remaining to be produced in series, e-Delivery determined the integration of Moura in the production model of the volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus factory in Resende (RJ), the Modular Consortium. The battery manufacturer, until then already a partner of the e-Consórcio, a group of companies that develop the business model for transporting electrified loads, also participates in the vehicle assembly process.

In the alliance, Moura continues with the role that was already defined to manage the entire battery cycle, however, now he also assumes the supply of the battery system, the installation in the structure of the truck and the start, moment in which the vehicle is turned on by the first time. “We will have transversal participation, from the beginning to the end of the heat”, summarizes Cristiane Assis, commercial manager of Grupo Moura.

The process begins with the shipment of lithium batteries from CATL, another e-Consortium partner, to the Moorish unit in Bom Jardim (PE). In a specific area, the manufacturer assembles the system with more than 30 components, including cables, sleepers, cradle and the integration of the BMS and the battery's electronic intelligence to then supply the system, up to the Resende Assembly Line.

Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus is updating the entire infrastructure of the factory in RJ to the new electric reality

The entire infrastructure of the Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus industrial complex is also being updated to the new electrical reality: the new chargers have just arrived, capable of recharging the batteries of the e-Delivery trucks in up to 1 hour.

The equipment will be used to restore energy to the automaker's test vehicles, in action in laboratory analyzes and certification tours, before the start of series production. All the energy consumed in the factory comes from renewable sources.

Almost everything is ready to start production of the first electric truck in Brazil. The first units will still leave a pilot station before migrating to the final line, in which the electric vehicle will share part of the assembly process with the diesel-powered model.

“We had a big challenge to take advantage of the synergies between electric and conventional trucks. Both share, for example, a taxi and axles”, says Adilson Dezoto, vice president of production and logistics at VWCO. “Producing both under the same roof is unprecedented and required a high voltage electrification area with a lot of technical knowledge. Hence the importance of a national partner looking at the whole.”

With the arrival of Moura, the Modular Consortium in Resende now has eight partners, including Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus. Meritor is responsible for the set of metallic suspensions and axles, while Suspensys is responsible for the air suspensions. Powertrain, a joint venture between Cummins and MWM International, supplies engines, Aethra installs the cab, Carese handles the paint, and eventually Kroschu installs the interior cladding.

Volkswagen boss announces closure of combustion, gasoline and diesel engine production

The multinational Audi, belonging to the Volkswagen Group, had already announced recently that it would not develop any more combustion engines and that the automaker's focus will be on manufacturing electric cars. Now, the German itself has joined the idea and the brand's boss has announced the end of the development and manufacture of this type of propellant, whether gasoline or diesel.

According to information from Ralf Brandstätter, CEO from Volkswagen, in an interview with Automobilwoche, the German automaker will only continue to update and review the current combustion, gasoline and diesel engines in order to make them more efficient. The reason for this measure is that the multinational will invest heavily in the manufacture and production of electric cars.