Why OEMs Need System-Level Collaboration When Designing Electric and Hybrid Systems

When original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) start the transition away from vehicles or equipment powered by an internal combustion engine (ICE), the options are endless. From fully electric to hybrid systems, the planning and shift involve more than just choosing a part.

More than that, OEM designers and engineers benefit from working with providers who act as partners, helping design a powertrain using a full systems approach. Electric and hybrid systems demand the seamless integration of batteries, inverters, motors and control systems. The challenge isn’t just selecting the best parts. It is to ensure that these elements operate together efficiently, safely, and reliably under real-world conditions in an optimized way. A partner should help with:

• Collaborating on a system architecture
• Enabling customization and flexibility
• Driving quality and validation
• Supporting integration and life cycle

Collaboration on System Architecture

OEM engineers and designers should work side by side with a powertrain component partner from the earliest planning stages to:

• Define requirements (such as emission limits and certification obligations that must be met)
• Select the ideal components for the application
• Design architectures that meet performance, safety and sustainability requirements and objectives

A partner can help integrate and test motors and inverters to ensure compatibility, efficiency and other needs. This partnership also fosters a systems approach to the design.

Customization and Flexibility

A true partner offers tailored solutions — whether full systems or handpicked components — to align with OEM requirements, strengths and market needs. To ensure that vehicles and equipment perform efficiently, seamless integration of motors and inverters is essential, including the ability to program the inverters.

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When the inverters allow for user programming to further customize the system for specific actions required by the application, they provide nearly infinite customization. Working with a partner who can help optimize an OEM’s overall system provides exponential benefits.

Quality and Validation

When collaborating with an electrification and hybridization partner, the team can implement rigorous quality control, simulation and real-world testing strategies to optimize system performance and durability. Having a partner with stringent quality and testing requirements helps ensure that OEM systems enter the field with high performance, operating as efficiently and reliably as possible.

Your provider should partner with OEMs to meet their regulatory, application, certification, cybersecurity and functional safety requirements. Some of these are:

• ISO 27001
• ISO 45001
• ISO 9001
• ISO 14001
• UKAS Management Systems
• Local, national and global regulations

Support Integration and Life Cycle

The right partner provides expertise in a systems approach to integration, documentation, training, and long-term support, ensuring a smooth path from concept to production and beyond.

What does a true partner provide? A true partner provides both tangible and intangible benefits. These include:

• Co-development — Work together to define the application requirements and select ideal components
• Transparent validation — Involve the OEM team in testing, quality control and data sharing
• Integration expertise — Ensure that all subsystems operate seamlessly with a systems approach, reducing risk
• Long-term support — Plan for maintenance, upgrades and troubleshooting 

Why a Systems Approach Matters

A systems approach is critical. Why? A systems engineering mindset, which a partner can help OEMs apply, ensures that every interface — electrical, communication and safety — is mapped, validated and optimized.

This approach reduces engineering workload, accelerates time to market, and minimizes project risk. It also makes future maintenance and upgrades easier.

• Shorter development timeframes — When the system components come pre-validated as a package, vehicle teams can jump directly to chassis integration, shaving time off the program schedule.
• Lower program risk — A single design failure mode and effects analysis spans all high-energy subsystems, closing interface gaps that traditionally surface late.
• Optimized cost and weight — Shared thermal loops, right-sized cables and common software save kilograms and dollars without compromising compliance.
• Scalable platforms — Once the architecture is proven at one power level, stackable motors or parallel battery strings let you address adjacent vehicle classes with minimal new tooling. This helps accelerate OEM electrification and hybridization journeys.
• Simplified future maintenance and upgrades — A systems approach allows partners to support OEMs as they scale from niche electric and hybrid systems to mass-market adoption.

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The Bottom Line

Replacing the component mindset with a systems approach and partnering with suppliers who share this approach help OEMs deliver lighter, more efficient and more reliable electric and hybrid machines, and meet aggressive program timelines and cost targets.

This is essential for navigating the electrification or hybridization journey.

The right partner doesn’t just supply parts. They bring vision, expertise and ongoing support, allowing OEMs to consistently deliver reliable, innovative and customer-focused vehicles and equipment for a rapidly evolving market.

The focus should extend beyond buying a part. The goal should be building a partnership that empowers OEM success from concept to end user.