Continental expects mass production of e-vehicles by 2018

Nov 2, 2011, 3:07 GMT

Stuttgart - Car parts supplier Continental is expecting mass production of millions of electric vehicles by the year 2018, with significantly improved battery technology, according to a report in a German auto-motor-sport magazine.

In an interview with the magazine, Continental's CEO Elmar Degenhart said current electric vehicles were mainly of a show character with small volume production.

'However, in the next phase, between 2014-2015, we will see significantly higher production with the breakthrough of e-vehicles coming toward the end of the century,' he was quoted as saying.

Large-scale production of electric vehicles would come in the third generation, equipped with new battery technology in the years 2018-2020, according to Degenhart.

He said it was realistic to assume the production of 3 million electric vehicles and 8 million hybrid technology vehicles annually by the year 2020. 'Combustion engines in the next six to seven years will have a fuel consumption down 35 per cent compared to current models because of more efficient engines and other fuel-saving technology,' he said.