Continental Supplies Hybrid Drive for BMW, Lithium-Ion Battery for Mercedes-Benz

Really hip: Twin motors double driving fun and are more eco-friendly

Hanover, March 14, 2008 – Alicia Silverstone drives one, Cameron Diaz, Leonardo di Caprio, Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford do too: Hybrid vehicles are all the rage. And of course California's environmentally-conscious governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also has one of these cars equipped with both an electric motor and a gasoline engine. But the hybrid vehicle is a star not only in Hollywood. Ever more hybrid cars are being registered in Germany as well.

ContiCompact: The power of an engine plus a motor: Hybrid systems have additional torque that makes driving more fun. Low CO2 emissions go easy on the environment: Depending on the driving situation, fuel consumption can be cut by up to 25 percent.

In view of their high fuel-saving potential, hybrid drive systems are felt to have a future, in particular for city use. The additional torque also makes driving twice as much fun. The international automotive supplier Continental recognized this trend early on and was the first European manufacturer to start supplying a hybrid system for production vehicles in 2003.

Hybrid drives were also full in trend at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, where various manufacturers premiered numerous new hybrid cars. At the international motor show, Continental introduced the latest design for a power electronics system used in high-tech hybrid drives in the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics. At the end of the year, Continental will also launch first-time volume production of a high-performance lithium-ion battery for hybrid vehicles, which will be used in the Mercedes S 400 BlueHYBRID. Lithium-ion technology is viewed as the key to the success of the hybrid and electric drive systems in motor vehicles, since it provides a higher energy density with which a wider range can be achieved. "The power output of the battery determines the overall performance of the vehicle as well as the potential for lower emissions and for possible fuel savings. It thus plays a key role in CO2 reduction," according to Dieter Rogge, head of Continental's Powertrain division. Depending on the driving situation, a full hybrid vehicle can cut fuel consumption by up to 25 percent, thus going easy on the environment. "In our opinion, CO2 and sustainability mark a key trend that will command the attention of the auto industry more than anything else," says Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Continental's Board member responsible for technological development.

In stop-and-go traffic, the hybrid system uses the electric motor like a generator and converts most of the kinetic energy from braking into electric energy, which is fed back into the powertrain when starting and accelerating. The heart of modern hybrid drives is the power electronics, which links the internal combustion engine and the electric motor while increasing efficiency and driving pleasure.

Source: Continental AG