Systems Competence for Electromobility
- PDF / 434,784 Bytes
- 5 Pages / 680.315 x 875.906 pts Page_size
- 7 Downloads / 183 Views
SYSTEMS COMPETENCE FOR ELECTROMOBILITY Vehicles have been able to drive electric for more than 100 years. However, in order for electric cars to be competitive, both on an economic and technical level, they will require specifically developed components integrated intelligently into a vehicle. It is the systems competence that will be the key for success of electric vehicles, as Continental describes exemplary with a Renault Mégane.
36
36-41_Systems Competence for Electromibility_ATR_Apr'13.indd 36
www.autotechreview.com
01-04-2013 17:30:24
AUTHORS
THOMAS RÖHRL is Manager of E/E Architecture at Continental in Regensburg (Germany).
GREGOR SCHMITT is Head of Systems Integration and Testing at Continental Engineering Services in Nuremberg (Germany).
LUTZ-WOLFGANG TIEDE is Project Manager in charge of electric vehicle testing at Continental in Regensburg (Germany).
CURRENT SITUATION AND INFLUENCING FACTORS
Due to limited resources and concerns about climate protection, as well as technical advances – not the least of which have come in the area of batteries – electric cars have been in focus for several years now. The big breakthrough, however, has yet to be made. Although more and more electric cars can be seen on the roads, most drivers still have not switched to this technology. Exchanging an internal combustion engine for an electric motor, or a gas tank for a battery, will not be enough. For electric cars to be able to compete with conventional automobiles from a technical and financial point of view, they will require more than just highly engineered, individual components. Specific adjustments of the components of the electrical drivetrain as well as an optimal integration into the vehicle are basic prerequisites to produce cars for everyday use at affordable prices.
CONSTRUCTION OF A TEST CAR
Automotive supplier Continental has demonstrated to what extent this adjustment is already possible by constructing a test car based on the Renault Mégane and utilising components from each of the company’s five divisions. Nearly 40 corporate-owned components, ranging from the motor through the lithium-ion batteries to the human machine interface, the tyres and even the ideally integrated lightweight seat covers, ensure that the four-door hatchback is suitable for everyday use. The car’s range is more than 140 km, the top speed is almost 160 km/h and no space for passengers and luggage had to be sacrificed. Quite to the contrary, the engine compartment of this electric vehicle yields additional space. The conversion took merely six months and demanded not a single custommade component: every part in the test car is on the verge of mass production or is already utilised in different cars on the market. The components in use are both modular and scalable. Since packaging represents one of the greatest challenges autotechreview
A p r il 2 013
Vo lu m e 2 | Is su e 4
36-41_Systems Competence for Electromibility_ATR_Apr'13.indd 37
37
01-04-2013 17:30:24
C O V E R S T O R Y ELECTRIC VEHICLES
❶ Every componen
Data Loading...
