Developing Rapid Prototypes to Fast-Track Harbinger’s EV Production
The outlook for commercial electric vehicle (EV) companies is bright yet highly competitive. Nobody knows this better than MES. One of our EV customers, Harbinger Motors, is on a mission to transform an industry they say is “starving for innovation.” Its best-in-class team of in-house developed suspension, electrical, battery, and drivetrain experts has successfully developed proprietary technologies for medium-duty commercial vehicles by completing the Beta phase build and now entering Pilot production.
The Challenge: Accelerate a Beta Version Vehicle Build
Tight timelines literally drive the automotive industry, and none more so than the EV market. As the maker of the first-of-its-kind, vertically integrated EV platform for commercial fleets and medium-duty vehicles, this California-based company felt pressure to introduce its Beta Version Vehicle to the world on time and on budget, thus fulfilling its commitment to investors.
They had the vision, and they knew how to get to the finish line by partnering with global suppliers like MES. The only problem was that they needed die cast components and structural forgings even before development was completed as they transitioned from prototyped parts to production level tools. Specifically, they needed eight component variants in just two short weeks to cover production requirements before development completed and first production samples available
MES offered its use of industry-leading supplier base for prototyping as a solution. While rapid prototyping in and of itself is enough of a challenge, there were very specific requirements for their Pilot Vehicle builds:
- Manufactured from 42CrMo4 Alloy Steel block (SAE 4140)
- Machined per 3D model
- Tolerances per 2D prints
- CED coated with a top coat with powder coat finish
- Must withstand 1,000 hours of salt spray life
The Solution: Technology Meets Technique
Rapid prototyping capabilities are essential for EV makers, giving them and other automotive manufacturers the ability to speed their product design and development to market ahead of the competition.
While the need for fast manufacturing is obvious, the “how to get there” is not.
”Our Bombay Metrics team excelled in offering timely solution to this gap in available parts that put customer production at-risk. It truly was remarkable how quickly we identified a supplier that could meet the demanding schedule,” says Austin Downs, “In fact, the customer had another solution for prototyping however they could not meet the timeline and pricing was much higher. Our team excelled at quality and delivery whistling juggling three suppliers to produce the parts, without hiccup.” – Raj Nanjukutty Bombay Metrics General Manager
