- The VW Meteor Mission Zero incorporates elements of Volkswagen Truck & Bus’s experience with electromobility into the brand's well-established competitiveness;
- CBMM incorporates more efficient components with Niobium technology;
- The truck will be driven at the 2023 Copa Truck by Felipe Giaffone.
Next Sunday (19), the VW Meteor Mission Zero, the world’s first tractor race truck that combines combustion and electric engines, will make its debut on the track in Goiânia. With a development partnership between Volkswagen Truck & Bus, CBMM, Ciser, Giaffone Electric and R9 Competições, the Mission Zero initiative seeks to move towards eliminating the vehicle’s carbon emission through a continuous series of innovations. The truck will be driven by Felipe Giaffone at Copa Truck, one of the most important motorsport events in Brazil.
The championship will serve as a species of laboratory in which new technologies will be tested under extreme conditions, with a focus on energy efficiency, safety, optimizing weight, and carbon emission neutralization. The vehicle was conceived with a powertrain package and other components that will reduce consumption and emissions.
An important new feature included in the VW Meteor Mission Zero is the vehicle’s hybrid powertrain assembly, which offers an electric motor in addition to a standard diesel engine. The vehicle's electronic integration makes use of both traction systems (electric and combustion) in an intelligent and synchronized manner, together with an energy regeneration system known as KERS. These features were designed according to extremely strict safety standards.
“Volkswagen Truck & Bus demonstrates, once again, its pioneering spirit in the development of new technologies, technically supporting this initiative that seeks to advance the Brazilian category Copa Truck towards neutralizing vehicle carbon emissions, promoting a more sustainable competition”, explains Luciano Cafure, Marketing Director at Volkswagen Truck & Bus.
In line with global trends towards adopting more sustainable technologies and thanks to this partnership with CBMM, the initiative is also leading the way through the use of advanced materials with Niobium, which offers increased resistance and safety, as well as reduces the vehicle’s weight, making the truck more competitive than ever. This technological journey also includes possibility of adopting nanocrystalline materials (alloys that, when used together with Niobium, acquire a unique series of electromagnetic properties) that are applicable to electronics and components for the purpose of increasing energy efficiency during charging.
“Our focus is on progressively implementing and perfecting essential truck components. Niobium is a key element in this highly technological journey. Small additions of this metal, which presents unique properties, can increase the performance of the materials used, making the vehicle lighter and therefore allowing it to consume less fuel. Copa Truck is the perfect opportunity to take these materials and new components to the limit. It's like building a laboratory on the track. This event will allow us to speed up the innovation process,” Érico França, a technical specialist at CBMM that has closely followed the development of the project, explained.
The truck will usher in a new era in global motorsports, with its release coming in ahead of similar initiatives that are still subject to discussion on other racetracks around the world. “We believe that this is the opportunity to take this competition to a new level of performance and sustainability, which is an important step forward for the automotive industry,” Jackson Dal Comuni, marketing manager at Ciser, Latin America's largest manufacturer of fasteners, stated. “We are very excited to be supporting our driver Felipe Giaffone in yet another season of the Copa Truck, particularly given this innovative new initiative aimed at developing the world’s first hybrid truck that makes use of both combustion and electric engines.”
The drivers that will be stepping on the gas and testing this technology under extreme conditions are also finding inspiration in the transformation that is currently underway. “I am very pleased to be participating in such an innovative and inspiring project alongside such incredible partners – CBMM, Volkswagen Truck & Bus, Ciser, Giaffone Electric and the R9 Competições – as well as Omni Financeira, a partner that I have already collaborated with on several projects. This will be an unforgettable year and will mark the start of a new journey towards sustainability in national motorsports,” Felipe Giaffone, R9 Competições | Giaffone Racing team driver, commented.
About Volkswagen Truck & Bus
A member of the TRATON Group, VW Truck & Bus is a manufacturer of Volkswage commercial vehicles and one of the largest truck and bus assemblers in Latin America. Since 1981, when VWTB first started its operations, the company has outpaced competitors on the marketplace. Meeting the needs of clients and ensuring that they are satisfied has always been the assembler’s main focus. And that's precisely what VWTB offers: customized products and excellent after-sales service. The company is also an industry reference in technological innovation, seeking out solutions that reduce environmental impacts and help preserve our natural resources. VWTB is also a pioneer in the development and production of a truck 100% electric in Latin America. For 40 years, the manufacturer has maintained its commitment to developing vehicles that go above and beyond the requirements of its clients, whether they are driven in Brazil and Latin America, Africa or Asia.
About CBMM
A world leader in the production and commercialization of niobium products, CBMM serves more than 400 clients across 50 countries. Headquartered in Brazil, with offices and subsidiaries in China, the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States, the company offers cutting-edge products and technology within infrastructure, mobility, and the aerospace, health and energy sectors. In 2019, CBMM made a key investment in 2DM, a company dedicated to the development of graphene products, and in 2021, invested in the startups Echion and Battery Streak. These investments were aimed at supporting new developments in materials used in lithium-ion batteries. Since the company was founded, CBMM has developed projects in Brazil and several countries worldwide aimed at promoting the adoption of advanced Niobium materials across a range of industries. For more information, please visit the media center.
About Ciser
The largest manufacturer of fasteners in Latin America, Ciser has operations in more than 25 countries, and its portfolio includes more than 27,000 products divided into 503 different product lines. There are more than 2,000 employees at Ciser’s Joinville and Araquari (SC), and Sarzedo (MG) branches. With a 63-year history, the company continues to make key investments in the area of technological innovation and implement initiatives aimed at fostering social and environmental responsibility. Six decades of investments, acquisitions and expansion of the market segments in which it operates has allowed Ciser to establish itself as one of the largest companies in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. Ciser offers products across several different markets segment, such as the automotive industry, agribusiness, energy, furnishings, metalworks, civil construction, metal structures, white and brown lines (household appliances and home entertainment), oil and gas, and civil construction retail.
About Giaffone Electric
Located in Cotia (SP), Giaffone Electric is a startup whose main focus is the development and manufacture of electric mobility projects for vans, light and heavy trucks. The startup brings together several professionals who seek to develop sustainable projects based on the use of new technologies and the experience of its founding company, Giaffone Racing, responsible for the development and manufacture of various vehicles for Brazilian motorsport categories such as Stock Car and Rally dos Sertões.