How the battery service of Webasto is driving the electrification of manufacturers

Anyone who is on the road with an electric vehicle (EV) or an electrical construction machine does not give much thought to the battery - just this: it should have plenty of capacity, charge quickly, be safe and last a long time. Webasto offers business customers a complete battery service package so that the manufacturers of the vehicles and construction machines can reliably and successfully meet these expectations. What makes this special is that the technical experts of Webasto not only pay attention to the battery but also provide support throughout the entire project.

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At first glance, batteries for EVs and construction machinery appear to be interchangeable products that differ only in their materials and chemical compositions, capacities, charging duration, safety, and longevity. For vehicle manufacturers, the selection and integration of the battery is far less trivial: "Battery requirements are usually invisible to end customers. Manufacturers of EV and construction machinery are concerned with these requirements from the very beginning of the planning phase. Requirements include the optimal battery configuration, perfect adaptation to environmental conditions and intelligent operating strategies," explains Kai Baunacher, Product Manager Battery Services at Webasto.  

If you want to survive in the growth market of battery manufacturing, you will have to offer much more than just the product, says Baunacher: "At Webasto, we focus on high-performance and high-quality batteries as plug-and-play solutions, as well as on in-house developments for our passenger car OEMs. We want to avoid leaving our customers alone with this, but offer an overarching and technically competent service that even begins before the order is placed."

 

The perfect combination of battery and service 

With its battery service offering, Webasto sets the highest standards in cooperation with manufacturers in the EV industry. The offer is targeted at three development phases of the manufacturers: the planning phase, project phase and the "end-of-life phase".

Many manufacturers are currently in an exploratory and planning phase at the beginning of electrification. This leads to many technical questions and decisions for the right battery partner and optimal integration. What they need is a close partnership in which the customer is supported with the technical expertise and experience for planning and integration.

"We want to show right from the start that we would like to enter a long-term partnership with our customers. That's why we not only discuss opportunities for cooperation but also, if requested, carry out a comprehensive system simulation tailored to the customer's specific requirements to define the technological framework for the electrification project in question," says Baunacher.

 

Overarching service approach speeds up electrification of vehicles and construction machinery 

In doing so, the Webasto experts not only look at the requirements for the battery but also always at the requirements for electrified thermal management, which are often underestimated, especially at the beginning of electrification – a typical “skin in the game” approach: convince with deeds, don't hold back, but create tangible value for the customer right from the start with a lot of expertise - and that even before the contract is signed.

If cooperation is established, a selected team from various specialist departments supports the customer through the project phase. The team provides help with the construction of a prototype through to the start of series production. "It is important that our team, with its complementary expertise, pays attention not only to the batteries but also always to the overall system. This distinguishes our holistic approach and brings our customers enormous added value," explains Baunacher. One example of many is the installation of a comprehensive thermal management system for the vehicle. For example, an electric battery thermal management system (eBTM) heats or cools the battery and an electric thermal management system for the driver's cab.

 

Close up to commissioning – and beyond 

The aim of the project phase is to integrate and connect the components without compromising the integrity of the body. Adjustments and fault detection and their solutions can be done on site, but also remotely. After the vehicle or construction machine has been commissioned, the experts of Webasto conduct training sessions on the technical product features. But that's not all: "To ensure that our customers' sales teams can successfully score points with their customers, we also offer training for the sales team," adds Baunacher. Customer service and technical support complete the service offering.

Anyone thinking about electrification should already think about what will happen to the batteries when they reach the end of their technical life. Currently, the service life of battery systems averages 3,000 charging cycles. For more financial security and planning reliability, Webasto offers an extended warranty of up to eight years on its products as a promise of quality.

 

Thinking about recycling and reuse of batteries from the very beginning

For most manufacturers, the recycling of batteries is still very unclear. There is already an EU directive on this. But no one knows yet how a so-called "second life" market will develop, whether recycling will cost money or bring in revenue in the future. There is still a lot to develop here in the future. "The topic is complex, the business models unclear, a lot is still fuzzy, also because the EU directive does not apply if manufacturers sell to non-European markets," says Baunacher. In the "end-of-life" phase, future recycling and secondary recovery concepts of the manufacturers are put to the test. Webasto is currently testing innovative second-life applications using battery returns at its battery production plant in Schierling.

The key to success for customer of Webasto lies in integrating battery technology and transferring knowledge and experience from Webasto to the manufacturers in a strong partnership. The service offering plays an important role in this. Baunacher: "We are continuously developing our services around the battery business, always aligned with the needs of our customers and the market. At Webasto, we see ourselves not only as a classic product supplier but also as a long-term partner for our customers, whom we accompany through the complete electrification of vehicles and construction machinery".

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