From Combustion to Electric: How Do You Make the Switch?

It’s no secret that the automotive industry is an incredibly important friend to foundries like ACTech. Casting is used for everything from mass production to prototypes and urgent spare parts when disaster strikes. As far as the combustion engine is concerned, this partnership has led to incredible breakthroughs in efficiency, performance, and accessibility for manufacturers and road users alike.

And now we’re ready to do it all over again with whatever drives come next.

After all, change is inevitable. While the world is far from ready to say goodbye to the internal combustion engine completely, it’s almost certain that vehicles powered by something other than fossil fuels will become the norm eventually. The idea is certainly not a new one, but it is slowly growing in popularity.

Naturally, the rise to stardom of brands like Tesla has helped fuel that growth. However, other boundaries have stopped manufacturers jumping on board too quickly – a lack of infrastructure, such as public charging stations, for instance, or concerns about range and production costs.

But as those barriers fall, hearts and minds are slowly changing. More and more manufacturers are adding these alternatives to their production lines and sales lots – albeit mostly in moderation and often with a sense of hesitancy. After all, years of competition, refinement, and experience went into making wave after wave of incredible IC engine. Moving to something new feels like starting from scratch – and that can be scary for both our industries.

But it doesn’t need to be.

As far as selling points go, few are as important as quality. Whether you’re building a car, a toaster, or a rocket ship, you want to make sure it works as intended, that it lasts, and that it’s better than whatever came before. Prototyping is a huge part of that process – bring your idea to life, test it out, make your improvements, and repeat. 
So why would that change?

The short answer is that it won’t. Building a prototype for this new wave of vehicles will be no different from what we’ve done before. In fact, we’re already doing it. We’ve got a long list of projects for these alternative drives under our belts, such as electric motor houses with cooling, battery cases, sensor boxes, electric motor axles, heat exchangers, and plenty more besides – we’re more than prepared for whatever you need.

And that’s really down to one thing. Whether you’ve worked with ACTech before or are hearing of us for the first time, you should know that we’re never frightened of a challenge. If you can dream it, we’ll try to figure out a way to cast it. When they asked us to cast a new gear box for a helicopter all those years ago, we went ahead and did it. When they asked us to cast an entire section of a car, we went ahead and did that too. Big parts. Tiny parts. We’ve done them all. 

So, whatever you’re working on next? Together, we can handle it.

Whenever it comes and whatever it brings, we’re excited for the future of the automotive industry. It’s something that we feel should be embraced rather than feared, and we look forward to getting there with you. So, remember: The next time inspiration strikes? We’re ready when you are. 
 

Interested in developing prototypes for an e-mobility vehicle and wondering if prototype casting is suitable for your project? Our ACTech team is always happy to help answer any questions you may have. We’d love to have a conversation.

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