The central drive unit (including electric motor, gearbox, and inverter) has a compact design and has been moved significantly further back to the centre of the vehicle compared with the diesel driveline. This positioning frees up the installation space under the vehicle for other electrical components. A relatively short propshaft transfers the drive torque to the tried-and-tested and highly efficient hypoid rear axle.
The electric motor and inverter are compactly arranged within a common housing. This optimises the electromagnetic compatibility of the vehicle. Other advantages of this design are: electrical robustness with high fault tolerance and vehicle availability, low electrical losses due to short connections between inverter and electric motor.