Continental Begins Prototype Production of Electric Traction Motors
03 May 2010
Continental has begun production of the first prototypes for electric motors that will soon be going into volume production at its plant in Gifhorn, Lower Saxony.
Continental has produced lithium ion batteries since 2008 for the production Mercedes S 400 HYBRID. Continental has also already long been beyond the lab stage with its power electronics for electric drives and their batteries. The current third generation is roughly 30% smaller than its predecessor. Electric motors in volume production at the Gifhorn plant are the next milestone in Continental’s e-mobility components initiative.
Starting in 2011, Continental will produce the first complete electric powertrain for a European carmaker’s standard production vehicle.
For this, we have invested €12 million in our plant in Gifhorn, Lower Saxony. The annual production capacity is designed initially for up to 60,000 electric motors. With this step, Continental is putting the third key component for electro-mobility into production, in addition to the battery and power electronics.
—José Avila, head of Continental’s Powertrain division
The motors from Gifhorn will offer peak outputs of 60 kW of 75 kW. The Continental synchronous motor, as it is coming off the line in Gifhorn as sample, weighs in at 65 kilograms.
If automobiles are not now being operated efficiently, why worry about highly efficient electric vehicles. The high speed available from the TESLA is an inducement to inefficient high speed operation whilst the motor batteries and electronic drive are all very expensive. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 03 May 2010 at 10:35 AM
HG, not sure i understand your question. I agree Tesla is a wasteful toy for the rich (so far). But it still moves us forward with all the engineering, battery development, etc.
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More efficient vehicles are coming.
Posted by: danm | 03 May 2010 at 03:07 PM
HG:
e-vehicles are by nature more efficient than the latest ICE counterparts. However, total vehicle efficiency goes beyond the drive train. Wind and road resistance have to be reduced. Braking energy (up to 90%) has to be recuperated. All accessories and on-board HVAC could be optimized to reduce their energy consumption by 50% and more. Light weight, transparent, resilient, ultra strong poly-plastics could be used for battery case, windows, body panels etc etc to reduce total weight by 30% and more. Optimized design and the use of light materials could make current e-cars 30% to 50% more efficient.
Posted by: HarveyD | 03 May 2010 at 03:08 PM