Automotive News Europe - September 2019 - 36

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE

SUPPLIERS

Rapid response
Why Continental decided to speed up its shift to e-powertrains
PETER SIGAL

psigal@autonews.com

ontinental hasn't yet spun off its
powertrain division -- to be called
Vitesco Technologies -- but the supplier
is already preparing for a transition to
electrification from internal combustion
engines. Continental says its powertrain
business will "change course" to focus
on the "electric future and clean air."
The German supplier said its board had
voted to cut investment in hydraulic
components such as fuel injectors and
high-pressure pumps for gasoline and
diesel engines and spend more on electric vehicle components. The major strategic shift is being driven by tightening
emissions standards and political pressures, the company said. "The future is
clearly electric," said Andreas Wolf, the
current head of powertrain at Continental, who will be Vitesco CEO when it becomes a separately listed company next
year. "We are convinced of this."
The coming years will see the drivetrain
market diverge into a matrix of various
systems and combinations, Continental
said, with some areas developing faster
than others. It predicts the market for
high-voltage components and hybridized
systems will grow "at a much faster pace
than anticipated."

The system consists of a new 30 kilowatt, water-cooled electric motor positioned between the combustion engine
and transmission. The supplier said the
solution's power electronics have been
optimized to handle higher currents and
are more efficient.

More than a mild hybrid
Although the system is 48 volts rather
than high-voltage, as in a conventional
hybrid, Continental says it does not consider it to be a so-called "mild hybrid"
because of its performance. Officials
would not provide the system's electriconly range, but they expect emissions to
be cut by about 20 percent, compared
with 10 percent for a typical 48-volt mild
hybrid system. Top speed in electric-only mode is 80 to 90 kph.
Stefan Lauer, project manager for advanced development in Continental's
powertrain division, said the system
was suited for minicars as well as small
and compact models. "We expect to
see a distribution of electrification solutions," he said, adding that midsize
and larger vehicles would benefit most
from a high-voltage plug-in hybrid sys-

tem. A prototype version of the drivetrain was fitted to a Ford Focus with a
three-cylinder gasoline engine. In a brief
test, the car started in full-electric mode
and remained there in urban driving
conditions. Pressing firmly on the accelerator activated the gasoline engine.
Other companies are developing hybrid
systems with the same goals. Renault
will introduce its 12-volt E-Tech hybrid
powertrain, with two small electric motors connected to the transmission, on
the new Clio and Captur early next year.
In addition to the 48-volt high power
drive system and new power electronics, Continental also displayed its thirdgeneration electric axle drive, which will
appear in a small car aimed at the European market as well as several compact
SUVs from Asian manufacturers, the
company said.
Continental has taken steps toward
creating Vitesco Technologies in an effort to react more quickly to emissionsdriven market conditions. Since April
30, its powertrain unit has operated as
a separate business. A partial IPO is now
planned for the end of this year, with the
start of trading scheduled for 2020. ANE

The sharp rise in production is leading
to an "economically attractive business
at an earlier stage than thought," the
company added. At the same time, Wolf
said, it is becoming harder to justify investments to improve internal combustion engines. In addition to hydraulics,
Wolf said Continental was reviewing the
business for exhaust gas after-treatment
and fuel delivery.

Electrified future
Continental displayed some of the technologies it hopes to pitch to automakers
in the coming years in July at a presentation in Hanover, Germany. Chief among
them was a 48-volt drive system that
Continental says allows full-electric operation without the complexity, cost and
weight of a typical high-voltage hybrid.

www.autonewseurope.com

Continental says its 48-volt drive system allows full-electric operation
without the complexity, cost and weight of a typical high-voltage hybrid.

SEPTEMBER 2019

http://www.autonewseurope.com

Automotive News Europe - September 2019

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