New Power Module from Continental Combines Electric Mobility with an Outstanding Driving Experience

• Third generation of power electronics provides outstanding driving performance
• New microchip technology enables currents of up to 650 amps
• Production car power module used unchanged even in race cars

Regensburg, Nürnberg, Frankfurt, July 22, 2019. Continental is approaching the forthcoming changes in vehicle drive technologies with vigor and confidence. The technology company is relying here on the growing demand for highly efficient and low-emission technologies for combustion engines as well as electrified and fully electric drive systems. One of the company’s strengths and core competencies is its electronics expertise. “When it comes to electric vehicles, the focus is mainly on the electric motor and battery. However, there is another vitally important key component, namely the power electronics – a mini computer that manages the interaction between motor and battery or, in other words, the “brain” of the electric drive system. Its own central component is the power module, which enables currents of up to 650 amps. For years now, the drive business of technology company Continental has been offering this technology for various types of electric automobiles – from plug-in hybrid models to electric cars featuring highly integrated axle drives, right through to high-performance electric vehicles. “Over decades, Continental has built up electronic expertise into one of the company’s core competencies. This is now bearing fruit, because the overwhelming majority of mobility innovations are based on electronic components, which today already account for around 70 percent of our current incoming orders. Continental’s systems expertise is therefore an invaluable advantage,” said Andreas Wolf, CEO of Continental’s powertrain business.

The new power electronics can be used in a broad range of electric vehicles. This much is made clear by the considerable systems expertise that Continental has built up in this area of electric drive systems. Since the first generation, which hit the roads in various electric production vehicles in 2011, performance, size and weight have been optimized from generation to generation. The current, third generation, for example, delivers six times the performance of the first, while its weight has been reduced from what used to be 12 kilograms to just 8 kilograms now.

In addition to development and production expertise in power electronics hardware, Continental has the necessary software knowledge to adapt the component as required. For instance, the system was tailored for ultimate sports performance and maximum dynamics for the electric SUV. If the driver does not demand all the available performance, the control software will provide a particularly calm and peaceful travel experience – after all, the high-performance SUV also belongs to the class of luxury family vehicles.

For Continental, this is a crucial message, as the components of the electric drive system and performance electronics in particular have now reached a sufficient stage of development for a similarly broad range of applications to those of the components of conventional power transmission technology. Whether the focus is on comfort or the driving experience, these demands can be met in a far more environmentally friendly way than before thanks to the advancement of electric mobility. Regardless of the specific design of the electric powertrain, which is defined by the performance electronics, driving will be associated with far fewer emissions in the future – without compromise on making driving fun.