Trends in Automotive

Published on 6-Jan-2009

Veldhoven, April 25th

A while back, automotive electrical systems were simple. They just consisted of a 12-Volt battery connected across a simple wiring harness to some mechanical switches and a relatively small number of devices like starter motors, lights, windscreen wipers and gauges. The car radio and tape cassette player were among one of the first electronic devices in the car, followed in the 60s and 70s by the first electronic control devices for fuel injection systems. In the 1980s, these were joined by digital control microprocessors for engine management and ABS.

Today’s automotive industry is driven by end-user requirements like:

• safety 
• features for driver assistance and convenience 
• entertainment and communication systems (infotainment)
• improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions
• and all this at lower cost. 

The industry is meeting these requirements by increasing the electronic content. Today, an average car has between 40 and 100 electromagnetic devices. Around 40% of these are electric motors, and around 60% are electronic control units managing up to more than 150 functions. These functions demand much more than just providing power and control signals to and from the devices, and need far more sophistication than the 12-Volt battery and the traditional wiring harness.

Harsh operating environments

The automotive industry can use technologies developed in the computer, communications and other industries, but has to adapt them to meet far higher equipment demands. That includes longer component life cycles and a greater reliability because cars are used in much harsher operating environments.

While global vehicle production is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 3.6%, the automotive electrical product market CAGR is expected to be over 8% through to 2011. That means an estimated volume of € 49bn in 2006 to € 72bn in 2011. Within that already high overall growth forecast, some sectors expect spectacular growth. Advanced safety and driver assistance applications, for example, could reach a CAGR as high as 37%. Systems include:

Safety:

• Intelligent (LED) lighting systems
• Night vision camera systems
• Blind spot detection
• Lane departure warning systems

Driver assistance and convenience:

• Parking assistance systems
• Driver alertness systems
• Adaptive cruise control

Infotainment:

• Navigation systems
• To- and in-car communication systems

Future editions of our newsletter will focus more on these fast growing applications. Next time, we will outline the challenges faced by manufacturers of safety related systems.