What would actually happen if 30 percent of heavy-duty traffic were electrified and powered by renewable energies? In Germany alone, this would save around 7 million tons of CO2 every year! But electrically powered commercial vehicles are still rare on our roads. However, this will not remain the case for much longer. In order to achieve the climate targets and at the same time meet the growing demand for freight capacity, manufacturers will have to step up their game – despite the remaining technological uncertainties in terms of range and charging infrastructure.

Our holistic approach

We at Continental are supporting them in this endeavor by developing solutions for electric commercial vehicles. Our holistic approach covers the entire product lifecycle in three areas:

• Architecture & Consulting: We accompany vehicle manufacturers on the long road before an idea can become reality – from system integration and E/E architecture to vehicle development and prototype construction.
• Software: Our solutions range from basic control software to application software to solutions within the Autosar development partnership of automotive manufacturers, suppliers and companies from the electronics, semiconductor, and software industries.
• Product Development & Products: Whether for power electronics with up to 1,000 V or low-voltage control units – our hardware is used in various energy applications in the vehicle, including the auxiliary units of the powertrain.

Our components for energy management in electrified commercial vehicles make sustainable mobility safe and efficient.

This is our product range:

• Thermal Input/Output ECU
• Charging Control Unit
• Current Sensing Module
• 800V Inverter
• Intelligent Battery Sensor
• DC/DC Converter
• Battery Management System
• and Pantograph.

Dynamic charging

Keyword pantograph: Our active pantograph for dynamic charging on highways is one of our core innovations for electric commercial vehicles. It enables trucks equipped with this system to connect to a contact line in much the same way as rail vehicles. Given an appropriate contact line network, this would be an extremely efficient way of charging and driving. A hybrid drive would also make it possible to drive on non-electrified roads.

What solutions do you think could help accelerate the transition to electromobility? Tell us in a comment.