A Conductor for eMobility

I am part of Continental's Advanced Development team and work at the interface between innovation and product development focusing on mounting systems for eMobility. This is important because increasing electrification affects the vibration behavior of the vehicle. And that has consequences not just for a user’s comfort and the noise level, but also other systems such as high-performance cooling circuits. For this reason, we have been dealing with the technological changes in this field for several years now and are trying to optimize the high-frequency behavior of our mounting elements. Which is particularly relevant for eMobility by using innovative solution approaches. For this, of course, regular exchanges with our customers and our international colleagues is also important so that we can share and utilize our know-how and expertise as widely as possible. It also keeps us very close to our customers and their challenges. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that the journey from point A to B continues to be noticeably and audibly more comfortable for passengers.

In addition to my work at Advanced Development, I'm also part of a cross-divisional team that works together on the "Passenger Electric Vehicles" growth field. Of course, it's great to get to know colleagues from other areas and to develop this market segment together. But it’s particularly exciting right now, because the automotive industry has never experienced such volatile and disruptive times. This is given rise to completely new questions and challenges. And we can actively contribute to the answers and solutions with our expertise, particularly in the area of comfort and safety.

For us, this is clearly about evolution, not revolution. In the case of the components themselves, the requirements profile is changing due to new technologies for eMobility or autonomous driving – though not fundamentally, but incrementally. The high frequencies are a challenge, which is why we put great effort into optimizing the materials and testing them extensively. Sustainability plays a major role for our customers demonstrated by our process to produce engine mounts from recycled materials. And to further reduce CO₂ emissions, the megatrend of lightweight construction and, of course, the 3 Rs (recycle, reuse, reduce) can make a big difference. Especially in eMobility, where a single concept hasn't been established.

I imagine the mobility of the future to be more individual, more flexible, more comfortable and, above all, more colorful. Because individual needs are so different in the city and in the countryside, there can't be one solution for everyone, but rather a variety of new mobility concepts. In urban areas, the population has already been rethinking its approach for a long time – away from their own cars and toward mobility on demand and sharing models. Further out in the country, it will eventually be e-scooters, one's own electrically powered vehicle, or small autonomous buses.

The mobility of the future will also be autonomous. Of course, some passionate drivers will still want to drive themselves. But in general, autonomous driving can deliver a plus in quality of life. The concept of two rows behind each other, so that fellow passengers can't look at each other, will be a thing of the past. No longer sitting in rows behind each other during the journey, but reading the newspaper, watching movies or having a picnic with the family which all sounds good to me.