Japanese auto manufacturer Mazda has signed several collaboration agreements to help the company further develop of electric drive units (EDUs). To this end it is working with a group of companies including Imasen Electric Industrial, Ondo Corporation, Chuo Kaseihin, Hiroshima Aluminum Industry, Hirotec Corporation, Fukuta Electric & Machinery, and Rohm.
As a first step, Mazda has partnered with Ondo, Hiroshima Aluminum Industry and Hirotec to establish a joint venture to develop the high-efficiency production technology required for the manufacture of electric drive units and establish the systems required for the production and supply of those units. It will collaborate with local suppliers in the Chugoku region of Japan to build and enhance the infrastructure needed for producing EDUs.
Mazda has also concluded a joint development agreement with Imasen Electric Industrial and Rohm for the development of inverters containing SiC power semiconductors. It has also established a JV with Imasen Electric Industrial to develop inverters and production technology for components such as circuit boards. It has also signed a joint development agreement with Fukuta Electric & Machinery to develop advanced technologies for motors, while establishing a JV company with Chuo Kaseihin and Fukuta Electric & Machinery to develop motor technology.
