„E-mobility not without I.C. know-how.“

This applies in particular to those components of electric drivelines that require complex and expertise-rich production processes. Binnig cites as just one example the aluminum casting of housings for electric motors, which his company currently produces for Volkswagen China in Guangde, some 200 kilometers west of Shanghai. The complex cooling system of this ultra-modern component, which contributes to the necessary temperature control of the electric driveline, requires a special casting process developed exclusively in Germany to series maturity and meanwhile successfully used in China.

For the Rheinmetall Automotive CEO, the battery pack carriers, which require temperature control as well, are also part of this extremely know-how-rich product range. This is an area in which also start-ups are dependent on the input of traditional suppliers from the automotive sector.

Binnig even goes one step further: "Electric coolant pumps, which have already been used in combustion engines for many years, but also innovative heat pumps, are necessary to ensure the complicated temperature management of power electronics, electric motor or battery in addition to heating the passenger compartment. Last but not least, electric vacuum pumps might also be added, Binnig continues, in order to build up the necessary brake pressure in electric, hybrid or even fuel-cell vehicles.

Simply in terms of e-mobility, the head of the globally operating specialist for engine emission reduction and efficiency­ improvement cites an order intake of more than RMB 6 billion (over €800 million) for his company.

In China, Rheinmetall Automotive employs around 5,000 people at 16 locations and in 2018 generated total sales of around RMB 8 billion with its local joint ventures and wholly owned subsidiaries (€1 billion euros). This corresponds to currency-adjusted a growth of 5.7 percent compared with 2017.

Rheinmetall Automotive press conference with CEO Horst Binnig
Auto Shanghai 2019: April 17, 2019, 13.30-14.00h, Hall 5.2. Stand 5BE151