Growth Companies

Though an international company, Ricardo has decided to set up shop in Van Buren Township to help with with the expanding demand for advanced battery production. Its new facility was targeted at the rapidly expanding demand for hybrid and electric vehicle systems for the defense sector, for truck and off-highway applications, and from the company's more traditional automotive customers.  Before deciding to build the facility in Van Buren, Ricardo considered a range of possible locations within its established global network of technical centers. Ultimately, it was incentives in the form of a $991,000 state tax credit from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and a further $75,000 tax credit from Van Buren Township that helped secure this state-of-the-art facility for the metro Detroit area.

The creation of such a unique facility reflects Ricardo's strategic vision for the increasing electrification of vehicle propulsion. The robust activity during the first few months of the center's existence has confirmed the wisdom behind the company's decision to enter and compete in this market. According to Karina Morley, Global Director of Controls and Electronics for Ricardo, "The imperative to deliver robust, cost-optimized and well engineered systems fully integrated with the vehicle and its control systems was a key influence in our decision to invest in our Battery Systems Development Center. We are already using this facility in our research programs. For example, we are taking cell technologies from specialist suppliers and designing and developing battery systems mechanically and thermally to make them ready for use in vehicles. We are also working on production programs for customers in which visiting engineers are based on site in order to work in partnership with the in-house team. As the new facility is a fully integrated into our organization, we are ideally positioned to handle the integration of all aspects of battery systems into vehicles. In this way we can take the development process from the cell technology to vehicle implementation; designing the pack and the battery management system as well as the hybrid powertrain."