Draft:Designwerk Technologies
 | Draft article not currently submitted for review.
This is a draft Articles for creation (AfC) submission. It is not currently pending review. While there are no deadlines, abandoned drafts may be deleted after six months. To edit the draft click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the window. To be accepted, a draft should:
It is strongly discouraged to write about either yourself or your business or employer. If you do so, you must declare it. Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Last edited by Bearcat (talk | contribs) 16 days ago. (Update) |
| File:Designwerk Technologies logo.svg | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric vehicle, Electric truck, Charging station, Electric vehicle battery |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Winterthur, Kanton Zürich, Schweiz |
Number of employees | 205 (as of 2024-07-01) |
| Website | www.designwerk.com |
Designwerk Technologies AG is a Swiss company based in Winterthur that specializes in electromobility. It converts commercial vehicles into battery-electric vehicles, develops modular high-voltage battery systems, and mobile and stationary fast chargers.[1] The company has received numerous awards, including the Swiss Energy Prize Watt d'Or in 2020, the Green Business Award in 2021, the Red Dot Design Award in 2023, and the Smarter E Award in 2024.
History
[edit]Designwerk was founded by Tobias Wülser in 2008. Early in the company's history, Frank Loacker (2009), Vivien Dettwiler (2016), and Adrian Melliger (2018) joined as co-owners. The company was born out of participation in the 80-day, all-electric circumnavigation of the world with the self-developed Zerotracer cabin electric motorcycle, which set a world record.
Early projects included the three-wheeled postal delivery vehicle DXP in 2009, which Kyburz Switzerland supported, the electrification of the BMW Isetta in 2012, and the design of a new edition as the L7e electric vehicle, which later became known as the Microlino.
Between 2013 and 2015, various projects were advanced, including the development of the Juice Booster 2 in collaboration with Juice Technologies AG, the development of the first 18-ton electric truck for E-Force AG and the first own product, the Mobile DC fast charger for customers such as Nissan, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.
In 2016, Designwerk launched its "Ecological and Quiet 26-Ton Electric Recycling Collection Vehicle" project, which was funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy and expanded over the course of the project into a flagship project, leading to its own product line of electric trucks based on Volvo and Daimler chassis. The company's own brands, Designwerk, Futuricum, and Batteriewerk, were merged into the Designwerk brand with a new logo in 2019.
In 2022, Designwerk launched its "Megawatt Battery Charging System for Heavy Commercial Vehicles" project, funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. This project resulted in the first two Swiss megawatt charging points at Galliker Holding in Altishofen and at National Roads Area VI in Oberbüren. In 2024, the Volvo AB acquired the shares of Designwerk Technologies AG.
Company structure, locations and employees
[edit]thumb|Designwerk Headquarter Winterthur thumb|Designwerk Highvoltage Batteries Designwerk's headquarters are located in Winterthur, Switzerland. Additional production and development sites are located in Seuzach, Sennhof, Reinach, and Lottstetten Germany (as of 2024). In 2024, the company employed 205 people. The headquarters has relocated several times since its founding, from Auenrain in Winterthur to Fehraltorf, via the Winterthur warehouse site to the Wülflingerstrasse location in Winterthur. thumb|Designwerk Mobile DC Fastcharger thumb|Designwerk Megacharger at Galliker in Altishofen Designwerk offers services in the areas of engineering, industrial design and prototype construction.
In addition to contract development, Designwerk began developing its own products in 2013. Initially, these were mobile DC fast chargers and high-voltage batteries. After the implementation of the 26-ton electric waste collection vehicle project, the company began developing additional electric commercial vehicles based on Volvo and Mercedes chassis.
With the experience gained from mobile rapid chargers, the company began producing stationary, battery-buffered megawatt charging stations with MCS charging interfaces, designed specifically for use in the commercial vehicle industry. In August 2025, this system, combined with the Designwerk electric trucks, exceeded the megawatt charging power limit for the first time with 1,140 kW.[2]
The battery department initially experimented with NMC round cells and prismatic LFP cells. In 2015, the company abandoned the use of individual cells and began collaborating with battery module suppliers. From then on, the company manufactured modular high-voltage battery systems for various electromobility applications, focusing on system design and the development of cooling, safety, and battery management. The company reached an annual production volume of 50 MWh in 2024.
The commercial vehicle division receives its chassis without diesel powertrains directly from the Volvo and Mercedes production lines and installs its own electric drive technology. The drivetrain is installed in the same location as the diesel engine and includes four asynchronous motors with reduction gears, inverters, auxiliary units, chargers, and control technology. The company produces the base vehicles, which are then converted by bodybuilders into refuse collection vehicles, semi-trailer tractors, and specialty vehicles for applications such as sewer and street cleaning, construction logistics, and car transport. Between 2022 and 2024, the company delivered 193 electric commercial vehicles.
Awards
[edit]Designwerk was a pioneer in mobile DC charging technology, particularly with SiC power electronics, and is taking a leading role in electric commercial vehicles. In May 2019, the company delivered its first 40-ton tractor unit with a 450 kWh battery capacity and, in November 2022, its first truck with a 1000 kWh battery capacity.
- June 2011: World record around the world in 80 days[3]
- August 2021: World range record with an electric truck that covered 1,099 kilometers without recharging.[4]
- October 2023: Team Ladetechnik takes first place at the ADAC e-Competition 24-hour race with the Tesla M3 LR[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Designwerk Technologies revolutioniert den Markt mit E-Trucks". Handelszeitung (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2025-09-01.
- ^ "E-Truck charges for the first time with more than 1.1 megawatts of power". www.bfh.ch. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
- ^ Geneva, Simon Bradley, Simon Bradley in (2011-02-24). "Swiss win round-the-world electric race". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "World record I E-LKW I DPD Switzerland". www.dpd.com. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
- ^ "Ergebnisse HHR 2023-10". 24ecompetition.com (in German). Retrieved 2025-09-01.
Category:Companies established in 2008 Category:Manufacturing companies