Cubonic will integrate electric drives from Punch Powertrain into its vehicle architecture – specifically for its Cubonic’s PeopleMover minibus and CargoMover light transport vehicle.
The two companies have signed a strategic partnership agreement to that effect. Cubonic emerged from the insolvent Aachen-based electric shuttle developer Moove a few months ago. The partnership with Punch Powertrain, a transmission manufacturer offering complete hybrid and electric drives, will allow Cubonic to further develop its PeopleMover and CargoMover solutions. According to an accompanying statement, Cubonic will benefit from Punch Powertrain’s expertise in developing mobility applications.
Like its predecessor company Moove, Cubonic specialises in electric shuttles. The company develops “highly customisable electric LCV [light commercial vehicle] solutions that offer automated and autonomous driving, seamless connectivity with its customers’ ecosystems, and improved productivity and profitability”.
The partners did not go into detail about the technical features of Punch Powertrain’s electric drive. They only mention that Punch Powertrain will support the integration. Initially, the Electric Drive Units will be “installed in Cubonic’s advanced prototypes at its new site in Pulheim-Brauweiler, Germany.”
Cubonic CEO Günter Butschek comments that the new partnership “will enable us to progress the development of our PeopleMover and CargoMover eLCVs at an accelerated pace”. And that with Punch Powertrain, Cubonic has found a partner who shares “our values of agility, innovation and sustainability and whose expertise will support us in changing the game of last-mile transportation of people and goods with our solutions for years to come”.
Sébastien Mazoyer, CEO of Punch Powertrain, is excited to provide state-of-the-art electric powertrains as Cubonic’s technology and production partner. “This collaboration perfectly aligns with our vision and strategic approach to delivering value to our customers, thanks to our expertise in electric mobility, enabling to accelerate product introduction time to market”, he says. “Our team is committed to supporting CUBONIC in achieving a differentiated value proposition to its customers. Together, we gear up towards the next level in electric transportation of people and goods.”
Cubonic came into existence on 22 November 2022. The transfer of operations from Moove GmbH to the newly founded Cubonic GmbH was concluded just one month after the latter had filed for insolvency. Moove GmbH was in the middle of the capital-intensive production start-up of the aforementioned CargoMover and PeopleMover vehicles.
The company was founded in 2018 as a joint venture for electric shuttles by ZF and e.GO Mobile – at the time still under the name e.GO Moove GmbH. At the end of 2020, Miltenyi Biotec took over ZF’s e.GO Moove shares as part of a financing round. In the following phase, the company was separated from e.GO and renamed Moove GmbH.
Keyword: Cubonic integrates electric drives from Punch Powertrain