PARAVAN Space Drive was first developed by Loran-Arnold almost 20 years ago as a driving solution for people with disabilities. Since then, the system has brought new mobility to more than 10,000 people. Space Drive is the only steer-by-wire system licensed for highway use in the world.

Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG and Arnold Verwaltungs GmbH have signed a basic agreement under which, Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG to acquire joint venture Schaeffler Paravan Technologie GmbH & Co. KG (Schaeffler Paravan) from Arnold The remaining 10% of the shares of Verwaltungs LTD. Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG currently holds 90% of Schaeffler Paravan and will fully own the company upon completion of the transaction. The parties agreed not to disclose financial details. Under the agreement, Schaeffler will take over Schaeffler Paravan’s 70 employees and run the company under its own management. Schaeffler will also continue Schaeffler Paravan’s highly successful relationships with existing customers and partners.

Roland Arnold, the current managing Director of Schaeffler Paravan, is stepping down and will be replaced by Clement Feltz, head of Schaeffler’s Chassis business unit. “We would like to thank Roland Arnold for his tremendous contribution to Schaeffler Paravan and the development of Space Drive technology, which is unique in the world,” said Matthias Zink, Chief Executive Officer, Automotive Technologies, Schaeffler AG.

Nearly 20 years ago, Roland Arnold invented the innovative Space Drive drive-by-wire system as a mobility solution for people with disabilities. Since then, thanks to increased independent mobility, the system has enabled more than 10,000 people to participate more fully in society. In practice, this means that Schaeffler Paravan’s space drives have traveled more than 1 billion kilometers. In addition, Roland Arnold and Schaeffler Paravan have implemented various prototypes as well as professional road licensing solutions based on Space Drive technology for all areas of the automotive and cargo transportation sectors. The Space Drive system has also been tested in extreme conditions for motorsport applications and has been successfully driven over 100,000 km.

Matthias Zink said: “Space Drive is currently the only steerby-wire system approved for use on the road. More importantly, it symbolizes Roland Arnold’s impressive lifetime achievement. The expertise and experience gained from perfecting and enhancing Space Drive over the years will continue to serve us well as we develop a highly integrated steering-by-wire system for serial production.”

System development and expansion of Space Drive

Since 2018, the Schaeffler Paravan joint venture has been developing the next generation of innovative steering-by-wire systems. This new system has been developed in accordance with automotive industry standards and requirements. It is a multi-redundant system designed to maximize safety and meet the functional safety requirements of ISO 26262. Schaeffler is committed to continuing this pioneering work. The company also intends to complement and combine its mechatronics capabilities acquired from developing chassis systems for mass production with its technical knowledge in developing Space Drive. Schaeffler’s goal is to accelerate the development of innovative, integrated steer-by-wire systems for high-volume automotive production.

The agreement that created the joint venture in 2018 included a clause allowing Schaeffler to take full ownership of the company at a later date by acquiring 10 percent of Roland Arnold’s shares. The basic agreement signed today brings the acquisition negotiations to a successful conclusion.

Schaeffler’s chassis business will evolve into a key integrator of chassis solutions

This acquisition is the next logical step in Schaeffler’s strategy to shape mobility transformation not only through CO2 efficient drives, but increasingly through innovative chassis applications. In recent years, the company has built extensive capabilities to achieve this goal. Schaeffler will continue to systematically develop its chassis business, making it a key center for integrating chassis systems for vehicle mass production and new types of mobility. The development of this highly integrated system will benefit from the acquisition in a number of ways, including access to the extensive expertise and experience gained from the Space Drive system developed by Roland Arnold as part of his life’s work.