Israeli Startup’s Next-Gen EV Platform Wants To Reinvent The Wheel

Israeli startup REE Automotive and Japan’s KYB Corporation have teamed up to develop a novel suspension for future electric vehicle platforms.

Leading global hydraulics manufacturer KYB will offer its semi-active and active suspension systems for REE’s innovative next-generation EV platform. The two partners believe their collaboration “will reshape the movement of goods, people and services by revolutionizing electric vehicle design.”

It’s not the first time we heard that, so let’s see what’s so special about REE’s EV platform. The most important thing to know about it is it integrates all drivetrain vehicle components (steering, braking, suspension, e-motor) into the wheel in what the company calls a REEcorner architecture solution.

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The REEcorner combines with the REEboard, which is a completely flat platform holding the batteries, to allow “complete freedom of design, improved performance and safety.” According to the Israeli tech company, the combination also allows for modular applications for any vehicle type, from last-mile delivery to heavy-duty shipping. The KYB-REE partnership marks the first time the Japanese company has formally collaborated on EV platforms with a technology company.

“KYB has vast experience in developing and manufacturing advanced suspension systems, and we are excited to partner with REE Automotive and share its revolutionary EV vision by engineering a suspension subsystem that supports the needs of tomorrow’s mobility ecosystem,” said Kazunori Masumoto, General Manager of Engineering Headquarters at KYB Automotive Component Business Division.

According to REE Automotive, KYB’s technology will play a crucial role in the rapid development of its next-generation EV architecture, “which reinvents the electric vehicle with a completely flat, scalable and fully modular platform, ready to carry the future of e-mobility.”

The Israeli company says its platform can be used by current and future vehicles including last-mile delivery, MaaS (Mobility as a Service), light- to heavy-duty EV logistics and robotaxis.