Fossil fuels are running out and our air is becoming ever more polluted. The reaction to this is comprehensive legal regulations and sustainable use of resources. The need for environmentally friendly technologies that aim to reduce fuel consumption and emissions is becoming increasingly urgent and is an important growth market in the automotive sector.

Starting in 2011, Continental will be the first automotive supplier to produce an all-electric powertrain for a standard vehicle manufactured by a European carmaker. This means that, in addition to the battery and the power electronics, we are putting the third key component for electromobility into mass production: the engine. With 60 kW or 75 kW depending on the model, our engines provide impressive torque. The electric engine can accelerate from a dead stop like no other combustion engine of the same weight. Thanks to substantial progress made in its compact and lightweight construction, the Continental synchronous engine weighs just roughly 65 kilograms. In comparison, a conventional combustion engine weighs between 80 kilograms (1.2 liter) and 150 kilograms (2.0 liter) excluding transmission, depending on the manufacturer and design type.

Until now, combining short braking distances on wet and dry roads with low rolling resistance was highly problematic. With our new ContiEcoContact 5, we have launched a product onto the market that unifies both. Compared to the previous model, the ContiEcoContact 5 boasts 20% less rolling resistance and 12% better mileage as well as shorter braking distances on wet roads. This means a vehicle with these new tires uses about 3% less fuel than the same car with standard tires. ContiEcoContact 5 is approved for speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour.

The new Continental HSL2 2 ECO-PLUS XL long-distance tire can carry the increased loads on the front axles of future truck generations. The Euro 6 emissions standard that comes into force at the beginning of 2013 demands that vehicle manufacturers build new engines with more complex exhaust purification and aftertreatment technology. Catalytic converters, exhaust gas recirculation, particulate filters and considerably larger cooling systems greatly increase the load over the truck's front axle. The newly developed long-distance tire, which has 500 kilograms of greater axle load-bearing capacity, also ensures a reduction in fuel consumption thanks to its optimized rolling resistance.

Another factor in reducing fuel consumption and therefore also CO2 emissions is lightweight construction. Substituting metal with plastic is an important approach here. We were the first automotive supplier to develop heavy-duty power unit mounts made from plastic, thus ushering in the use of much lighter load-bearing components in the automotive industry. These components include engine and transmission mounts, torque rod supports and torque reaction mounts which are up to 50% lighter and require less energy to produce.