Continental and Varta develop a Powerful Battery for Electric Two-wheelers

By OEM Update Editorial August 14, 2021 12:09 pm IST

Continental Engineering Services is cooperating with battery specialist Varta.

Continental’s development and production service provider, Continental Engineering Services (CES) is cooperating with the battery specialist Varta. The aim of the partnership is to develop new technologies and products that particularly lead to advances in sustainable solutions in the field of electro mobility.

In a first pilot project, both partners jointly developed an innovative product for the two-wheeler market: A replaceable 48-volt battery pack for electrically powered two-wheelers with a power of 10 kW and more. Such vehicles are comparable in engine power and top speed with conventionally powered scooters from 125 cc engine displacement. The battery pack consists of VARTA’s V4Drive high-performance cell based on lithium-ion technology, which is characterised by its high performance, fast chargeability, low-temperature resistance and compact design. A specially developed battery management system from CES now allows the use of this extremely powerful battery cell in automotive two-wheeler applications.

The special feature: The lightweight (nine kg) battery pack gives a range of 50 kilometres and power of 10 kW. It can be detached from the two-wheeler with a simple pull and charged externally. In addition, any number of battery packs can be connected and controlled via the new battery management systems. As a result, the range of an e-scooter can be doubled to 100 kilometres by using two batteries.

“Continental Engineering Services and Varta have jointly developed an attractive solution for commuters without their own parking space,” says Alex Rupprecht, Director Business Segment Driveline & Electrification at CES. The 48-volt swappable battery based on the revolutionary V4Drive cell paired with our innovative battery management system enables the breakthrough of electric mobility for a long-range commute on two wheels. The battery system has a high-power density, meets the automotive standards in its performance class and can easily be removed from the scooter and charged quickly. This is an ideal solution for commuters who don’t have a charging opportunity at their parking space.