»Automobil Industrie« China

With so many highlights and cutting-edge technologies on display at the auto show, each exhibit needs to stand out to attract visitors. Among the stunning exhibits is the AMBIENC3 concept vehicle at the Continental booth. It caught the attention of a large number of visitors not because of its “eye-catching” appearance, but rather because of its inner “quality.”

Dr. Alexander Jockisch, Sales Director for Surface Solutions Business Area at Continental, has deep insights and thoughts on this. In this exclusive interview, he said, “AMBIENC3 points the way to the future of mobility with sustainable materials and innovative technology. This concept vehicle focuses on sustainability, design, functionality, a third space, and customer orientation, combining retro charm with future mobility needs.”

Innovative ideas for intelligence, comfort, and individualization

In fact, Continental has won several prestigious design awards for the AMBIENC3 and other products in 2022. The concept vehicle was created based on an old VW T2 microbus and combines the emotional retro charm of an automotive icon with responses to the mobility needs of the future. AMBIENC3 showcases how Continental envisions the mobile working and living space of the future. The interior follows the concept of the third space, where the areas of driving, working and relaxing merge. In addition, the concept vehicle offers design concepts tailored precisely to one’s individual application to create a new experience for future mobility.

With this concept vehicle, Continental wants to communicate its innovative ideas for intelligence, comfort, and individualization. First, in terms of intelligence, Dr. Alexander Jockisch believes that the cockpit of the future should have the functions of sense, touch, and display. Continental is able to fuse electronic components, surface materials and printing technology to provide passengers with intelligent experiences for different scenarios.

Second, people are increasingly focusing on the interior when it comes to comfort. That is why supporting technologies are necessary. For example, we have breathable material which is permeable to air and water vapor. This allows the seats to provide the ultimate comfort experience. Finally, in the area of individualization, it is hoped that in the future, the interior or construction of the vehicle will reflect more of the personality of the user.

The reporter was standing next to the AMBIENC3 concept vehicle when visitors were inside the vehicle getting a first-hand experience. The visitors could easily feel the retro and modern styles of the concept vehicle and could also find elements similar to Chinese landscape paintings, home-style simplicity, and some personalized designs with wood textures. It is noteworthy that the concept vehicle’s light-colored interior is different from the gray or dark-colored interiors commonly found in other cars. Is this light-colored interior surface difficult to clean? Dr. Alexander Jockisch asked the reporter to write some words on the surface material of the vehicle, which were then easily wiped clean.

“We use many of the latest technologies in the interior. The staynu® (i.e., “stay new”) technology makes surfaces more resistant to dirt, easier to look after and more robust than ever. As the name implies, this technology helps the material stay (and look) “as new” for longer, which conserves resources. Using laif® technology means that the material is permeable to air and water vapor. This results in a particular comfort, impressive softness, and special acoustic properties,” Dr. Alexander Jockisch told the reporter.

With the increasing use of driver assistance and autonomous driving technologies, Continental is creating an even more comfortable experience for drivers and passengers. “We use materials that allow drivers and passengers to breathe more freely and comfortably in the car. Even in brightly lit environments, drivers and passengers can remain comfortable,” added Dr. Alexander Jockisch.

Innovations such as breathable surface materials and low-emission solutions

Continental has the industry-leading technologies to respond to current trends and challenges in automotive interiors. In particular, Continental has independently developed innovative surface solutions.

Dr. Alexander Jockisch said, “Our leading technologies include breathable surface materials, low-emission solutions and more. The low-emission solution is an innovation we developed here in China. In addition, we have integrated some lighting functions into the surface material, which is also our leading technology developed locally.”

Surface Solutions has three technology centers worldwide that are located in North America, Europe, and Zhangjiagang in China. It is noteworthy that Continental uses cutting-edge technologies in the production process at its Changzhou plant in China. When asked about the reason behind this, Dr. Alexander Jockisch said with a smile, “We need cutting-edge technologies to meet the demands of Chinese consumers. For example, if you want to reduce the emissions in your car, you should use water-based lacquer technology instead of solvents. So, we need to use the latest technology at the Changzhou plant.”

With the continuous improvement of autonomous driving and driver-assistance functions, the activities of people in the cockpit will diversify, so the design of the whole cockpit needs to be more flexible. In the future, more diverse functions and technologies will need to be integrated into the surfaces of automotive interiors. These functions and technologies will help drivers and passengers to make different trade-offs as they enjoy the third space. For example, different buttons can be used in driving mode, and the display can be hidden in relaxation mode.

“We want the vehicle to be able to display different information and perform different functions at any time, depending on the desired working state of the occupants. We want to use a wide range of materials in our interior surface solutions to meet these needs. We also want the surface materials of the interior to be able to support the functions of perception, touch control and display, and the realization of these functions also depends on the application scenarios in the vehicle,” said Dr. Alexander Jockisch.

Customized EV motor mounts — the lighter, the better

In a rapidly changing and evolving industry, different markets have different areas of focus. It is truly a challenge to break into the global market and set trends. Dr. Alexander Jockisch stated, “The industry is changing rapidly and, in many ways simultaneously, which is the biggest challenge.”

No matter how the global automotive industry accelerates the development and introduction of new energy vehicles or focuses its efforts on increasing the level of autonomous driving and intelligent connected vehicles, safety remains at the center of all automotive development. In addition to safety, lightweight design is also important for electric vehicles.

For every 10% of weight reduction in a new energy vehicle, its driving range can be extended by 5–6%. Being lightweight is one of the important technical paths for new energy vehicles to save energy, reduce consumption, and increase range. It has become a crucial point of breakthrough for weight reduction in new energy vehicles. Continental has unique expertise in the development of materials. Through accurately measuring and forecasting the market demand, Continental is making full use of its multiple material formulation designs and processing capabilities to create a variety of lightweight product solutions based on a highly optimized material portfolio.

Continental’s group sector ContiTech has developed EV motor mounts with an innovative patent design, lightweight structure, and sustainable materials. The product uses polyamide instead of conventional metal brackets and adopts innovative technologies, including double-layer vibration isolation, a unique rubber structure and a custom-developed rubber formula that can provide unique NVH performance for electric vehicles. This reduces the weight by 30% with a single product. Therefore, the product effectively lowers energy use, cuts CO2 emissions, and extends the driving range of electric vehicles, providing users with a unique experience of smooth handling and noise-free travel.

Sustainability strategy for a zero-carbon footprint

As a sustainability practitioner, Continental has set itself goal of achieving 100% carbon neutrality, 100% zero-emission mobility, a 100% circular economy, and a 100% sustainable value chain by 2050. Regarding sustainability, Continental is pursuing a three-pillar or “three-pronged” strategy. The company is trying to ensure that its products have a zero-carbon footprint, i.e., by consuming carbon dioxide as part of the raw material in production. Continental is striving to achieve a zero-carbon footprint for the end product.

First, the company is closely monitoring energy waste and is continually optimizing its internal energy consumption processes. Continental’s Yanzhou plant is a case in point. Its industrial hose workshop has significantly improved productivity and energy efficiency through process optimization. As a result, the efficiency of the hose vulcanization process has increased from 59% to 79%, saving approximately 127 tons of steam per month, reducing energy and electricity consumption, and CO2 emissions.

Second, Continental uses energy from natural sources wherever possible. The Zhangjiagang plant installed distributed solar PV panels to provide electricity. In recent years, China has made notable achievements in environmental protection. The number of days with blue skies is increasing and the hours of light are getting longer, so that it is possible to maximize the use of photovoltaics to generate electricity, resulting in a win-win situation. On the one hand, people can enjoy a better environment, and on the other hand, companies can save a lot of energy.

Leveraging more than 150 years of technology and innovation in interior materials, Continental not only provides forward-looking design solutions for the cockpit of the future but is also actively contributing to the reduction of its carbon footprint and sustainable development. Continental attaches immense importance to the APAC market, which is reflected in the new organizational structure. Dr. Alexander Jockisch concluded, “Continental recently released a clear regional strategy that focuses on both the automotive and industrial businesses. The APAC region is a focus area, with China as an important market to focus on.”

Technology company Continental has been committed to developing intelligent, safe, and sustainable solutions for future mobility. In the future, Continental will continue to improve people’s quality of life and mobility comfort while contributing to a lighter and greener future with state-of-the-art technology and innovative designs.