The technology company Continental is driving the transition to electric mobility and supplying essential components for Volkswagen’s new electric model ID.3. With its high-performance computer, Continental is revolutionizing the vehicle’s electronics architecture. The so-called In-Car Application Server 1 (ICAS1) serves as an intelligent interface with the internet. It also forms a central component for all vehicles based on the modular electric drive matrix, including Chinese variants. In addition to the ID.3, it will also be used in other vehicles of the ID series such as the ID.4 from Volkswagen.
Furthermore, besides this technology, Continental supplies the drum brake with an integrated electromechanical parking brake function. It is a robust and corrosion-free solution that increases the lifetime service interval. The specially developed summer and winter tyres EcoContact 6 and TS 850 P with ContiSeal technology reduce wear and energy consumption and thus contribute to the widest possible range of the ID.3. Moreover, a sophisticated thermal management from Continental ensures optimal range and increases the durability of the batteries in the ID.3.
Energy-saving tyres and sophisticated thermal management increase the range of the ID.3
With the VW ID.3 leaving the factory on Continental tyres, Volkswagen has approved summer, all-season and winter tyres between 18 and 20-inch rims: The EcoContact 6 summer tyres in sizes 18 to 20 inch, the AllSeasonContact in 19 inch as an all-season tyre and the WinterContact TS 850 P as a winter tyre, 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 and winter tyres are equipped with ContiSeal technology. This reliably seals tyres against tread punctures from objects of up to five millimetres in diameter and therefore prevents around 90 percent of tyre 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 series supplier currently 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.
Safety when it counts thanks to forward-looking driver assistance systems
The ID.3 will safely come to a standstill when it matters: The long-range radar built into the electric compact car, with a range of more than 200 metres, increases safety and comfort with forward-looking driver assistance systems, such as the emergency brake assist and adaptive cruise control. In combination with the drum brake, the desired speed is automatically adjusted to the traffic conditions in order to avoid accidents – all the way up to emergency braking in especially critical situations.
Small, intelligent and vital in every vehicle: Wheel speed sensors provide information about the orientation and speed of each individual wheel. 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. Thanks to higher standardisation, the wheel speed sensors from Continental are especially robust, as well as flexible in their mounting position and were developed in accordance with the ISO 26262 safety standard. The investment in design variations and validation is therefore significantly reduced, which leads to time to market.
