Behind the scenes of GKN's arctic testing programme

The Ford Focus RS uses a tweaked and tuned version of the same technology, and another version has just been introduced into all-wheel- drive variants of the Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport and Sports Tourer.

On the ice, the system turns the E-Pace into a hooligan.

Oversteer into a corner, lift off the throttle to bring the back around and then, holding the wheel at a constant angle, simply steer the car on the throttle. Your instinct is to brake but, as confidence builds, you begin to marvel at the E-Pace’s controllability. That and engineers like Jackman-Day who have made it possible.

The trouble is, the public is more likely to credit such technology to the manufacturer of the car to which it’s fitted rather than the so-called Tier 1 supplier (an industry buzz phrase for major component suppliers such as GKN Driveline) that developed it.

GKN, and companies like it, are the Cinderellas of the automotive sector, an impression reinforced at motor shows where the major car brands are the stars, while their suppliers occupy the perimeter, hoping to engage a passing visitor. This impression makes their job of recruiting talented engineers a challenge.

Martin Bohling of recruitment specialist Courland Automotive says: “Car makers can look very attractive to a talented graduate but if they have the opportunity to work for a supply company like GKN, they should seriously consider it. When you see GKN on someone’s CV, it’s impressive.”

Of course, GKN Driveline’s position as a destination for talented engineers is not helped by talk of a takeover bid that could see the parent company broken up. Fortunately, it refuses to be distracted. At its Arjeplog test headquarters, it has opened an exhibition celebrating 30 years of winter testing that showcases its present and future drivetrain technologies, a pointed reminder to visitors that the company makes more than driveshafts and that its collaborations with car makers are deep and long-term.

“Everything on the right-hand side [of the exhibition] is already in mass production,” says my guide, Peter Mölgg, CEO for AWD and eDrive: “Here you see the first Twinster applications on mechanical systems that have since moved to mechatronic systems, and the various types of eDrive, including our offset G200EX design for the BMW Active Tourer.”

He points to an integrated electric powertrain and says: “This G600e Powertrain is for a battery-electric vehicle that is being developed for a future generation of sporty EVs. It’s for a big German manufacturer...”In the corner, the flywheel energy storage system used in the Le Mans-winning Audi R18 e-tron quattro of 2014 catches my eye.

“Together with the Panasonic Jaguar Racing team in Formula E, we’re working with students on a similar type of mechanical battery that’s ideally suited to racing cars,” Mölgg adds. “It’s exciting helping young people into the industry. They bring lots of energy and insight.”

Clearly, there’s much at GKN (and other Tier 1s like it) to engage the talented engineering student and graduate undecided between it or a career with a car manufacturer. That he was never proposed as a spokesperson for GKN Driveline gives Jackman-Day’s glowing tribute even greater credibility: “GKN is a great place to develop as an engineer because of the variety of opportunities it offers. AWD development projects such as the Twinster system have been incredibly rewarding and allowed me to apply my passion for high- performance cars to pioneering driveline technologies.”

As he hoofs the E-Pace across the ice, I don’t doubt him. 

GKN DRIVELINE IN NUMBERS:

£4.2bn - Value of sales in 2016 (up from £3.5bn in 2015)

26,500 - Number of people GKN employs

49 - Number of manufacturing sites around the world

90% - Share of the world’s vehicle manufacturers GKN works with

50% - Share of the world’s vehicles that feature its products

50km - Pure electric range of GKN’s eAxle

THE ALL TWINSTER HYBRID SYSTEM:

The focus of GKN Driveline’s Wintertest programme was its new All Twinster Hybrid System, fitted to a Mercedes-AMG GLA 45, christened GTD18.

Replacing the standard car’s mechanical all-wheel-drive system with a mechanical twin-clutch Twinster at the front and a two- speed, electric eTwinsterX eAxle at the rear, incorporating a GKN electric motor and inverter and a high- performance battery, gives the plug- in hybrid demonstrator independent torque vectoring of all four wheels, as well as zero-emissions capability. Having two automatic gears allows it to get off the line quickly and cruise comfortably at higher speeds.