The magazine of Rheinmetall Automotive ISSUE 02/2019 TRUSTWORTHY SUPPLY CHAINS When profitability and CSR work in tandem FULL THROTTLE INTO THE ENERGY TRANSITION Pistons for eco-friendly gas-engine power plants booming // MAKING A BEELINE FOR UNTERLÜSS Heather honey is a delicacy much in demand EDITORIAL/CONTENTS 10 FULL THROTTLE EVENTFUL TIMES INTO THE ENERGY The IAA 2019 in Frankfurt is just TURNAROUND around the corner, and this in quite stormy times for the automobile Large-bore pistons from industry. More than ever, the focus is Rheinmetall Automotive also on climate change and hence also CO 2 ensure highly efficient production emissions from vehicles. The Fridays in gas-fired power plants. for Future movement is making the headlines and putting massive pres- sure on politics, business, and society. The wind of change is not just blowing, it is raging in all areas of daily life. So, in this issue of Heartbeat, we will not only deal with the usual topics such as cutting consumption and emis- sions and our contribution. This time, for example, it is also about a power plant that is highly efficient and clean thanks to our piston technology. It’s about hydrogen powertrains, bicycles, e-mobility, drones and (in fact) bees. Read on to find out how all this is interrelated. Enjoy! THE WILD WORLD HIGHLIGHTS OF ENGINES 8 Peter Hartung Head of Corporate Communications 4 Latest news from Rheinmetall Automotive Rheinmetall Automotive AG Viking style rally Spectacular stunts at the Icelandic Formula Offroad FOCUS // IMPRINT Published by: Rheinmetall Automotive AG, Karl-Schmidt- 10 Straße 2–8, 74172 Neckarsulm, Germany www.rheinmetall-automotive.com Full throttle into the energy Responsible: Peter Hartung, Folke Heyer; Edited by: Richard transition Backhaus, Folke Heyer, Sabine Höfler, Dr. Eva Pinter, Pistons for eco-friendly gas-engine Bernhard Schenk, Dr. Martin Staiger; Implementation: power plants booming Publik. Agentur für Kommunikation GmbH; Picture credits: alamy: Halldor Bjornsson, Heritage Image Partnership Ltd; Audi AG; Bundesgartenschau Heilbronn; Bundeswehr; Stefan Büntig; CarbonTT; Daimler AG, Deutsches Zweirad- // OUR TITLE PAGE und NSU-Museum; Thomas Frank, Ralf Grothe; Imago: Jochen Tack, xThomasxTrutschelx; iStockphoto: aldorado10, In summer, bee colonies are Ridofranz, Alex_Doubovitsky, stockcam, Thomas_ among the inhabitants of EyeDesign, TommL, stockcam, sdlgzps, andresr, Valeriya 4 the Rheinmetall test site in Pichugina, mushroomstore; Michael Rennertz; Rheinmetall Unterlüss. They provide the Automotive; Stadtwerke Kiel AG coveted heather honey. 2 HEARTBEAT 02|2019 // CONTENTS 34 Extended e-powering The Audi e-tron quattro is powered only 36 by electricity 36 Cycling against the traffic gridlock Cycle-friendly urban strategies on the advance worldwide 40 Test drive with Helmut Freiermuth Head of Hardparts division TECHNOLOGY MOTORSHOW NEWS 43 Information is everything 16 28 Info truck of the Metal & Electrical Trustworthy supply chains Innovations from Rheinmetall Industry visits the Niederrhein plant When profitability and CSR work in Automotive tandem ON SITE 20 PEOPLE A dream come true? Fuel cells continue 44 to attract the interest of automobile 30 manufacturers The roots of Kolbenschmidt Making a beeline for Unterlüss The Headquarters of Rheinmetall Heather honey is a delicacy much in Automotive in Neckarsulm demand RHEINMETALL GROUP 24 You can find additional Fished from the sky information about these Rheinmetall offers intelligent drone defence for civilian airports articles by going to www.heartbeat-online.de/en 3 THE WILD WORLD OF ENGINES 4 HEARTBEAT 02|2019 // VIKING-STYLE RALLY Spectacular stunts at the Icelandic Formula Offroad The Icelanders are reputed to be a rugged race – after all, they are descended from the Vikings. The Icelandic Formula Offroad is as harsh as you might expect. The supreme discipline of what is claimed to be “the most extreme motor sport in the world”: a ride over water. 5 No ramp or hill is too steep, no ditch too sounds simple, but in practice it’s anything but deep and no mogul track too bumpy for the easy – because without any grip, the small racers courageous Norsemen at the wheels of the 4x4 can hardly be controlled. Some courageous pilots offroad vehicles. A lot of sensitivity is required in come to the shore soaking wet while their vehicle order to push the accelerator pedal at the perfect sinks into the – fortunately very shallow – waters. moment on the slippery and unpredictable surface, to carry the necessary momentum with Sophisticated safety concept you and to overcome the obstacles on the course. The drivers like to test the limits of gravity. Some- Then there are points scored – a maximum of 350 times that works well, sometimes it doesn’t. And per track. And, of course, the whole thing has to then the tiny buggies may come rolling down the be completed in the quickest possible time. But slope as helpless beetles. But as spectacular as it’s all about finding the right balance, because the Formula Offroad is – so far, there have been anyone who ventures too far and touches or very few serious accidents. A rollover cage, an crosses a mark, for example, will be severely integral helment, five-point belts, a homologated penalized. Those who do everything right will bucket seat, flame-retardent clothings, special reward themselves and the onlookers with incred- arm guards and other safety measures pro- ible stunts and the ultimate adrenaline kick. vide optimal protection for the drivers. Formula Offroad is proud that in over 50 years there has Aquaplaning desired! not been a single serious injury due to a lack of One of the trickiest obstacles for these hardy safety measures on the car. Scandinavians is the ride over water. And by that we don’t mean wet pistes, but actual small bodies of water. The very thing that all drivers fear in heavy rain is the key to success here: aquaplaning. The skill is to accelerate the buggy so sharply that the thick tires generate enough buoyancy to keep the vehicle on the surface. That Don’t you dare slow down! Speed is essential to prevent the buggy from sinking during con- trolled aquaplaning on the lake. Above: Special paddle tires offer the best grip in mud, gravel and sand – and on the water! Left: The steep ramps demand a lot of feeling in the foot. 6 HEARTBEAT 02|2019 For a good cause series was held in 1979. Today, Formula Offroad As crazy as the Icelandic Formula Offroad may is popular all over Scandinavia, and in 2016 the seem today – its origins served a quite sensible series even expanded into the USA. purpose. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Icelandic rescue services used offroad vehicles to demon- By the way: It’s not just the drivers who need strate their driving skills to the local population courage at the Icelandic Formula Offroad – the in order to raise donations. This was very well spectators do too. When the special tires of the received by the Icelanders. The show quickly 4x4 buggies dig themselves deep into the dirt at developed into a kind of rally competition with high speed, the fans may find mud and soil whip- More pictures can be found different teams and popularity continued to grow. ping around their ears. But of course a real Viking at www.heartbeat-online.de/en/ A set of rules followed and the first championship would not be deterred by any such thing. wild-world 7 HIGHLIGHTS BESTSELLER FROM HARTHA Pierburg has produced its one millionth electric vacuum pump in Hartha. The in-house development has been manufactured locally since its market launch in 2017 and has been one of the site’s suc- // cessful products ever since. CHINESE AWARD Electric vacuum pumps are particularly compact and FOR PIERBURG powerful and are used in hybrids and electric vehicles as well as in vehicles with Pierburg China Co., Ltd. has received the High Unit Pro- conventional drivelines. ductivity Enterprise award from the Kunshan municipal government. In 2018, the city of Kunshan launched a three-year project to promote innovation and high qual- ity economic development. The winners were selected from per capita revenue based on taxation, sales, labor productivity, R&D expenditure relative to sales, efficient energy consumption and improved levels of pollution control in key areas. The Kunshan government is furthering the efficient use of industrial resources for both parts production and innovation processes. MAJOR CONTRACT FOR COOLANT VALVES Pierburg GmbH has developed conventional combustion en- an innovative 2/2-way coolant gines as well as in all-electrics. valve for which it has now The valves developed and received its first major order produced at the Neuss site, on the European market from a will go into series production German premium manufactur- in the customers’ vehicles from er. The special feature of these 2021. The total order volume is new coolant valves is that they around 50 million euros. can be used in vehicles with 8 HEARTBEAT 02|2019 PEOPLE RHEINMETALL STRENGTHENS CEO HORST BINNIG CLOSES HIS EXPERTISE IN LIGHTWEIGHT CAREER AT RHEINMETALL ENGINEERING Rheinmetall Automotive is systematically expanding its longstanding expertise in light- weight automotive engineering. Through its subsidiary KS Kolbenschmidt GmbH, the Neckarsulm-based company has now acquired a 24.9-percent stake in Carbon Truck & Trailer GmbH, Stade, Germany. Carbon Truck & Trailer (CarbonTT) is a start-up company founded in After 20 successful years in the Automotive sector 2013 with currently 12 employees, until now and on the Rheinmetall Group’s Executive Board, family-owned. The company, which is located Horst Binnig (60) has asked the company’s Super- in the CFK Valley Stade, develops and produces visory Board to be released for personal reasons from his duties as Chairman of the Executive Board innovative load-bearing structural components of Rheinmetall Automotive AG and as a member of made from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) the Executive Board of the Group holding company for light commercial vehicles.