Stuttgart-based Tier 1 Mahle has announced that it is expanding its global R&D efforts, to encompass what it views as the key areas of future powertrain development. This, it says, will involve an increased focus on battery systems and hydrogen applications.

“Viewed from an international perspective, there will not be one single powertrain of the future. That’s why Mahle is continuing to follow its dual strategy: electrification, development of the fuel cell, and the use of hydrogen and alternative fuels in an intelligently electrified combustion engine,” said Dr Jörg Stratmann, chairman of the Mahle management board and CEO. “At the moment, the change in powertrain technologies is driven primarily by political objectives. The current one-dimensional debate focused on a single drive is not productive. We want a dialog that has a basis in technology.”