New VW ID.3 Model Drives Fully Connected, Safely and Far with Continental Technologies

The HPC serves as an integrated ICAS1. Continental worked closely with Elektrobit to develop the fully connected central HPC on a specially created platform for such HPC. As ICAS1 in the VW ID.3, the HPC is also a central element for the transition to a service-oriented electronics architecture. The server constitutes the central data hub and the connection point between the vehicle and the digital world. It allows for new software functions and safety updates to be installed over a wireless connection at any time in the future. Over-the-Air updates will become the norm. In addition, the innovative server concept can integrate both Volkswagen applications and third-party software. The provision of functions such as range-optimized route planning and the localization of charging stations for electric cars is simplified. Moreover, Continental has also developed the so-called “Plug and Charge” function for its ICAS1, which is used to control and simplify the vehicle charging process. The function will be available from 2021. When the charging cable is plugged in, the software in ICAS1 will be able to authenticate the registered vehicle at supported charging points and take over the charging process and its billing based on the charging contract stored in the back end.

Continental wheels the VW ID.3 ex-factory. For this purpose, Volkswagen has approved summer, all-season and winter tires between 18 and 20-inch rims: The EcoContact 6 summer tires in sizes 18 to 20 inch, the AllSeasonContact in 19 inch as all-season tire and the WinterContact TS 850 P winter tires, for rims with a diameter of 18 inches tailored to the specific requirements of the ID.3. They offer a particularly low roll-resistance to save energy and enable the widest possible range between charge cycles. In addition, there is a low rolling noise for comfortable driving as well as an aerodynamic sidewall design to keep the vehicle’s air resistance low. The summer, all-season and winter tires are partly equipped with ContiSeal technology. This reliably seals tires against tread punctures from objects of up to 5 millimetres in diameter and thus prevents around 90 percent of tire damage.

Furthermore, unlike conventional vehicles, electric vehicles require many cooling circuits, as batteries function most efficiently between 20°C and 40°C. This temperature spectrum makes a longer range possible and increases battery life. In order to maintain these optimal conditions, batteries must either be heated or cooled depending on the ambient temperature. This requires sophisticated thermal management. As the only current series supplier in the world, Continental provides flexible hose lines for the ID.3’s battery temperature control as well as the heat pump for cooling with the most environmentally friendly refrigerant currently available, R744. The new hose generation offers some advantages: besides weight reduction, smaller hose line cross-sections on the high-pressure side and in the battery-cooling system contribute to the use of as little coolant fluid as possible.

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Small, intelligent and vital in every vehicle: Wheel speed sensors from Continental provide information on the rotational speed and direction of rotation of the individual wheels. With its newest generation of sensors, Continental also offers an intelligent solution for the ID.3, which forms the basis for numerous vehicle functions and systems such as the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) or supports the monitoring of electric drivetrains. Due to high standardization, the wheel speed sensors are particularly robust as well as flexible in the installation position and were developed according to the safety standard ISO 26262. The investment in design variations and validation is therefore significantly reduced, which leads to time to market.