REE Automotive has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Magna International. Team ACI looks at the strategy aimed at introducing modular electric vehicles in the market.
REE Automotive Ltd. (REE), known for e-mobility innovations recently announced a strategic collaboration agreement with Magna International Inc., a mobility technology company. The collaboration is aimed at bringing to the market innovative, full-fledged Modular Electric Vehicles (MEVs) for the universe of technology companies and new emobility players under the ‘Powered by REE’ brand. The strategic collaboration is known to explore the combination of REE’s promising REEcornerTM technology with Magna’s vehicle systems integration expertise and state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities. It aspires to develop MEVs that enable commercial customers to customise vehicles based on their required specifications and with complete branding with an accelerated time to market. As mentioned by Daniel Barel, REE Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer in the company release, the company is thrilled to reach a collaboration agreement with Magna, which should help it fast track plans to support a broad range of EVs. “We see a growing demand for highly modular EVs from leading tech companies and new electric mobility players who have set their sights on entering the EV realm and building a brand in automotive. REE and Magna working together under the ‘Powered by REE’ approach can help bring their vision to life,” states the release. As per Eric Wilds, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Magna, the company will look to leverage its systems capability and unique ability to design, engineer and assemble vehicles to tap the growth potential of an evolving mobility landscape that has opened up new business model opportunities. REE and Magna will also explore potential collaboration in global mobility through the creation of a “Mobility-as-a-Service” (MaaS) venture in the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) sector that leverages REE’s proprietary X-by-Wire REEcornerTM and EV platform technology as well as Magna’s industrial footprint and capabilities. The REEcorner™ technology, for instance, is said to integrate the critical vehicle components into an area between the chassis and the wheel – the “corners” – creating a compact single module such that each corner is controlled by REE’s proprietary X-by-Wire control technology. It results in the claimed one of its kind fully-flat “skateboard” EV platform offering unprecedented space and interior room for passengers, cargo, and batteries. Notably, it will lend full flexibility to custom-tailor EVs based on a selection of the EV platform size, preferred length, width and vehicle height, payload capacities, drive and steering based on REE’s X-by-Wire technology (all-wheel, front and rear), battery capacity and power source (battery or fuel cell) among others. The focus is also on offering the lowest Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). MEVs are designed with a lower centre of gravity than vehicles with the motor located between the wheels and are designed to allow taller cabins and lower step-in height, yielding more cargo capacity than conventional EV platforms. ACI
