KYB Corporation has launched a strategic partnership with Israeli company EE Automotive (REE), who approached KYB to develop suspension capabilities for their future electric vehicle (EV) platforms.
KYB has unparalleled semi-active and active suspension systems and these will boost REE’s next generation EV platform. This will provide design freedom and cost-effective, scalable solutions for e-mobility. The combination of KYB’s suspension knowledge and REE’s pioneering technology in electric vehicle platforms will revolutionise electric vehicle design.
REE is working towards putting not only the suspension but also the braking system, steering and e-motor all together inside the wheel arch. KYB’s involvement in the project is the ‘in wheel’ suspension. This is called the REEcorner™ – each corner being completely independent and powered by the state of the art the REEboard™ ECU, controlling advanced x-by-wire technology. The technology allows for extreme modularity as each corner can be tailored to any vehicle requirements, resulting in optimum compatibility, efficiency and cost.
The REEboard™ is a completely flat, scalable and modular platform. It enables limitless body configurations with complete design freedom and greater efficiency of space. As there is no need to design a new platform for each vehicle type, this saves major costs and time. It provides more volume on a smaller footprint, to carry more batteries within the chassis.
This partnership is the first time that KYB has collaborated on EV platforms with a technology company. Kazunori Masumoto, General Manager of Engineering Headquarters at KYB Automotive Component Business Division, explains “KYB has vast experience in developing and manufacturing advanced suspension systems, and we are excited to partner with REE Automotive and share its revolutionary EV vision by engineering a suspension subsystem that supports the needs of tomorrow’s mobility ecosystem” . REE’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Barel commented “REE is delighted to welcome KYB to our unique network of global strategic automotive partners, bringing world-class expertise in advanced suspension systems. KYB’s technology will play a crucial role in the rapid development of our next-generation EV architecture, which reinvents the electric vehicle with a completely flat, scalable and fully modular platform, ready to carry the future of e-mobility”.