Continental and Fallbrook Tie Up on New Transmission Solutions

Just recently, Continental has entered into a licensing and engineering services deal with Fallbrook Technologies. The core focus of the partnership is the NuVinci® transmission technology developed by the U.S. company. This revolutionary continuously variable planetary (CVP) is a new class of continuously variable transmission (CVT) that uses rotating balls that enable the transmission ratio to change constantly.

In a statement, Rudolf Stark, Head of the Transmission Business Unit in the Powertrain pision, said that the partnership with Fallbrook would provide them with the opportunity to expand their business activities in the area of private urban mobility. He noted that the collaboration targets the development of new electromechanical transmission solutions for urban transport on the basis of the CVT.

Meanwhile, William G. Klehm III, Chairman and CEO of Fallbrook Technologies, said that they are anticipating to work with such a successful, large and multi-dimensional company as Continental. He noted that this partnership is a huge step towards their goal of disseminating NuVinci technology as widely as possible, adding that they have a strong position in the bicycle industry. “Our influence is also growing in the automotive industry, where our licensees are making good progress in the development of market-ready products. And thanks to our collaboration with Continental, we will have even more opportunities to develop new, pioneering applications.”

Wide Range of Applications

In the NuVinci transmission, Fallbrook is changing transmission from “Gears to Spheres™” with the use of rotating balls arranged in a circle, which are located between the transmission’s input and output components. By tilting the balls, their contact diameter changes and thus, the transmission ratio. NuVinci transmissions are designed to be configured to replace different types of planetary transmissions with a compact unit that can boost system efficiency. Versatile, they can be used in the development of customized products for wide-ranging applications—from immobile devices and bicycles to vehicles.