Manufacturing · Automotive · 1 November 2026
Mahle Group describes new range extender and motor for heavy trucks
SMMT announced that Mahle Group has detailed a new range extender system and MCT electric motor for heavy commercial vehicles. The compact unit integrates into existing battery-electric platforms, reducing total vehicle weight by about 600 kilograms.
SMMT announced that Mahle Group has detailed a new range extender system and MCT electric motor for heavy commercial vehicles. The compact unit combines a generator, engine, thermal management, fuel tank, AdBlue tank, and exhaust gas treatment. It is designed to integrate into existing battery-electric vehicle platforms, replacing about one-third of the battery capacity in a battery-electric truck.
Figures published with the announcement show the range extender reduces the rear axle load by about 400 kilograms and total vehicle weight by about 600 kilograms. A battery-electric truck equipped with the system can reach a total range of more than 800 km, or 497 miles. This total range is split into 400 km, or 249 miles, provided by the battery and 400 km, or 249 miles, provided by the range extender. The high-voltage generator has a continuous output of 110 kW and a peak output of 130 kW, with a power density of 7 kW per kilogram.
The thermal management system offers a high-temperature cooling capacity of 48 kW and a low-temperature cooling capacity of 15 kW. According to SMMT, CO2 emissions in real-life operation can be reduced by more than 80 percent compared with a conventional drive system. The MCT electric motor features a peak output of 370 kW and torque of over 900 Nm. It does not use rare earth elements, saving up to three kilograms of rare earth magnets per vehicle.
The drive system also achieves a weight reduction of 10 kg compared with comparable solutions. Efficiency in the VECTO driving cycle is stated as 95 percent. The announcement does not state when the system will be available for purchase or which specific truck models will be equipped with it.
Written by StreetOwl from SMMT, a trade body’s own announcement. It was drafted by StreetOwl’s own model, every figure and quotation was checked by code against the announcement, and it was read and approved by Michael Rossi before it went up. It says what was announced, not what anyone should do about it.
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