Continental has entered a strategic partnership with Munich-based high-tech firm DeepDrive to develop core applied sciences for electrical automobiles.
As a primary milestone, each corporations will collectively develop a mixed unit comprising drive and brake parts for mounting straight on the automobile wheel. DeepDrive is a specialist within the improvement of environment friendly electrical motors, with a few years of expertise in large-scale car manufacturing. Continental, in flip, contributes its technological know-how in brake programs and its experience within the industrialization of progressive applied sciences.
“With DeepDrive, we’ve got gained a powerful companion with whom we are able to collectively and sustainably advance the market penetration of electrical mobility,” says Matthias Matic, head of Continental’s Security and Movement enterprise space. “The electrical motors developed by DeepDrive prolong the vary of electrical automobiles. They’re lighter, extra economical, and extra useful resource environment friendly. Combining all that with our environment friendly, high-performance brake expertise to provide a brand new, compact unit is a decisive contribution to the success of electrical mobility. What belongs collectively grows collectively right here.”
“We’re satisfied that the event of our dual-rotor motor will revolutionize the electrification of motor automobiles,” says Felix Poernbacher, co-founder and managing director of DeepDrive. “The strategic partnership with Continental makes it doable to mix our drive system with the brake expertise wanted to create an progressive electrical element important to the mobility of tomorrow. The hovering demand for such expertise demonstrates that that is the suitable method to go.”Each corporations see nice potential of their collaboration because the electrification of automobiles makes it doable sooner or later to put all chassis features, together with the drive, straight on the wheel. So as to greatest implement the completely different necessities of electrical automobiles, reminiscent of maximize the vary whereas minimizing set up house and simultaneous modularity, complete optimization at automobile stage is important. The optimum coordination of brake and drive system makes a decisive contribution right here.
The mixing of each components in a single unit allows a very excessive stage of effectivity within the drive and when braking. Furthermore, built-in parts cut back complexity by modularization and facilitate the manufacturing course of.
DeepDrive has developed and patented what is known as a dual-rotor, radial-flux motor that may be put in as a central drive unit or as a wheel hub drive in sequence manufacturing automobiles. The partnership is specializing in growing an environment friendly, compact wheel hub drive optimized with a view to cost-effective manufacturing. And Continental is contributing not solely brake parts for the joint drive-brake unit: With its experience in industrializing merchandise proper by to sequence improvement, the corporate is guaranteeing that the motor innovation from Munich shall be road-ready with state-of-the-art brake expertise quickly. In step one, a hydraulic brake is built-in into the drive-brake unit.
In a second step, additionally it is deliberate to combine on the long-term dry braking programs with out hydraulic parts into DeepDrive’s progressive wheel hub drive. The mix of drive and brake in a single unit can be step one in the direction of a so-called nook module with built-in chassis parts, reminiscent of air suspension programs from Continental, in a compact unit straight on the wheel.
The collaboration between the businesses was initiated by Continental’s Company Enterprise unit (co-pace). The Company Enterprise unit additionally participated within the Munich-based firm as a monetary investor in a Sequence-A financing of DeepDrive that was accomplished at first of the 12 months.
Oct 12, 2023