Developments for present and future mobility

At the International Suppliers Fair (IZB), Gestamp is showing an array of products and innovations such as Extreme Size Parts, Battery boxes, Cell-to-Pack concepts, Joining Technologies, Chassis innovative Lightweight Solutions, Active Frunks and the Edscha Power Door.

The trends and changes in the mobility of tomorrow present automotive manufacturers and their suppliers with a variety of new challenges. The greatly increased weight of electric vehicles due to the integration of battery boxes and the resulting changes in vehicle structure and dynamics are just a few examples that Gestamp has to take into account when developing its products and technologies. Furthermore, aspects such as safety, lightweight construction and a reduction in CO2 emissions continue to play a decisive role. Against this background, the R&D teams will be presenting core innovations and technologies from Gestamp's three business areas at the IZB: Body, Chassis and Mechanics (Edscha).

Edscha is presenting the second generation of its Power Door to the public for the first time at the IZB. What is new about it is not only the actuator, which is now located in the door check area. In fact, Edscha offers a comprehensive system around the Power Door, including intelligent sensor technology that detects obstacles in the vicinity of the door and can stop the door in due time before a collision. Edscha also supplies the control unit (ECU). It is used to control the actuator by means of specially developed software and is the link to the vehicle environment monitoring system, which also detects static and dynamic obstacles such as pedestrians and cyclists.

As with the first generation of the Power Door, which Edscha put into series production in 2021, the second generation also has a so-called servo function. This means that even heavy doors can be moved manually with virtually no effort (no matter what position the car is in). The Power Door is also stepless, meaning it has no stop notches but keeps the door firmly in place in any position.

“With the Active Frunk,” Edscha CEO César Pontvianne de la Maza says, “we offer a state-of-the-art solution specially tailored to electric vehicles. Where there is still a combustion engine in most vehicles today, space is freed up in the electric vehicle that can be used as an additional luggage compartment, for example.” The Active Frunk combines an actuator for fully automatic opening and closing of the front lid with a hinge for active pedestrian protection.

In the area of sliding doors, Edscha develops customized solutions for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. In addition to the lower, middle and upper roller, the focusing on the rails developing, among other things, a multi-part rail in which both aluminum and plastic components can be used. The advantages of this new concept are obvious: less weight, lower costs, lower tolerances and faster processes.

For more information, see the IZB press release.