Special vehicle construction & new mobility solutions
The switch to electromobility is giving many industries a boost. Vehicles for even the smallest niche applications are now imaginable. However, it is often precisely start-ups that lack the necessary development and production expertise to see projects through to completion. AL-KO Vehicle Technology (AL-KO VT) is ideally equipped to help clear the way.
Photo: Roland Spiegler, Head of the R&D Competence Centre Vehicles (left), and Walter Hofhansl, Head of the R&D Competence Centre Trailer, and their teams work closely together.
AL-KO VT: Partner for Special Vehicle Construction
The new mobility is conquering our cities
Hoverboards, e-scooters, e-bikes and cargo bikes are just a few examples of forms of new – streamlined, unpretentious and sustainable – mobility that have taken over our cities in recent years. The e-drive has also brought plenty of innovation to the commercial vehicle sector. It’s a trend that is far from exhausted with the new vehicle concepts for last-mile delivery. E-transporters and cargo bikes with cab bodies used by parcel delivery services dominate the landscape here. Yet with the right components and the necessary expertise, almost any machine or work unit can be made mobile – from the fryer for the weekly market to the lighting tower for an open-air concert, and even the snowplough for winter services.
AL-KO VT combines expertise & components
Structurally flexible
AL-KO VT is already applying its expertise and components from the various business units of the DexKo Group today, in order to offer providers of special vehicles solutions tailored to their individual requirements. For example, Kässbohrer’s Pistenbully, depending on the model size, is equipped with different axle technologies, which AL-KO VT has developed based on its base axles. Likewise, the aCar by EVUM Motors relies on the modular system for lightweight chassis and rubber suspension axles that AL-KO VT has adapted to meet specific demands.
Individually adapted chassis and axle loads from AL-KO VT
From prototype to serial production
Overall, AL-KO VT relies on high-quality components and modular systems. The company masters efficient production across a wide range of batch sizes. Annual production can vary between five and 20,000 units. The development, procurement and manufacturing structures are set up accordingly.
AL-KO VT’s day-to-day business: Adapting chassis and axle loads for specific applications, configuring axle suspension and brakes accordingly, and building the system thus designed in a cost-effective manner. When developing more complex systems, AL-KO VT can draw on the comprehensive product range within the company group and combine development expertise from the areas of “self-propelled vehicles” and “trailers”.
Start-ups with excellent ideas but little production experience can particularly benefit from this development expertise and manufacturing structures. Scaling up the established processes to serial production is not a particular challenge for AL-KO VT.
AL-KO VT as platform provider and development partner
Comprehensive development and manufacturing expertise in the DexKo Group
In the business of towed units, AL-KO VT’s product and manufacturing expertise already goes far beyond that of a typical component supplier.
In its traditional business with powered vehicles, the company has to date mainly worked with so-called drive heads – that is, complete cab drive units from well-known suppliers. The challenge is to ensure that the necessary drive head interfaces are integrated mechanically, electrically and digitally while also addressing the unique requirements of the intended application. The compatibility of driver assistance systems can also be a challenge.
With new-mobility vehicles, AL-KO VT is going even further, supplying complete frame and structural components that represent the full vehicle. These components also include steering columns, body elements and seat consoles. Within the DexKo Group, there are already, alongside axles, brakes and chassis, also seat units from Aguti, SAWIKO towbars and light mounts as well as CBE electronic solutions. By pooling partial components and implementing integrated solutions across business areas, AL-KO VT is increasingly taking on the role of platform provider and development partner in these new business fields.
A broad range of potential applications for AL-KO VT chassis
Prototypes, small and micro series welcome
Thanks to the wide range of uses for AL-KO VT chassis, the company is familiar with a broad spectrum of applications in small and micro series. Chassis are used, for example, as boat trailers, horse transporters, or mobile medical stations. Electromobility is driving the development towards special vehicles for niche applications and giving it new impetus. AL-KO VT is ideally positioned to provide active support for this development – in quantities ranging from one to several thousand.
