With the emergence of electric vehicles (EV), autonomous driving, and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), the automotive industry is undergoing a revolutionary change. In recent years, the "new four modernizations" of the automotive industry have basically become a consensus among everyone, and various changes are also aimed at achieving the "new four modernizations". The "new four modernizations" of automobiles mainly refer to electrification, intelligence, networking, and sharing.
1. Electrification
Electrification refers to the electrification of vehicle power systems, that is, the use of electric drive systems instead of traditional internal combustion engine power systems. Including hybrid power (HEV, HPEV), pure electric (BEV), extended range (EREV), fuel cell (FCV) and other power forms, major companies have laid out to adapt to different user needs. Even the lithium battery technology used in the most popular pure electric (BEV) models is still under development and is far from mature.
The impact of electrification on automotive wiring harnesses is mainly the addition of high-voltage systems. High-voltage wires, high-voltage connectors, large-diameter aluminum wires, high-current Busbars and their iteratively optimized products will be developed and applied, and their technical parameters, test requirements and test methods will be continuously verified to meet the requirements of electrification.
2. Intelligence
Intelligence refers to the large-scale application of unmanned driving or driving assistance systems on vehicles. At present, there is still no autonomous driving model that truly reaches the L3 level. Real intelligent driving or unmanned driving is still far from being realized. The current "autonomous driving" is still just an "advanced driving assistance system." To cope with different scenarios and ensure vehicle safety, multi-sensor fusion has become an industry trend; it can not only utilize the performance advantages of different sensors, but also improve the intelligence of the entire system.
The impact of intelligence on automotive wiring harnesses is mainly that the new architecture and new principles make the wiring harness design simpler, and more energy can be invested in the development, research and testing of vehicle Ethernet, special wires, and special connectors to ensure the reliable connection of functions such as unmanned driving, smart parking, and 540-degree imaging.
3. Networking
Networking includes three parts: vehicle-to-vehicle network, vehicle-to-cloud network, and vehicle-to-vehicle network. The vehicle-to-vehicle network uses medium- and short-range communication technologies to achieve vehicle-to-vehicle/vehicle-to-road collaboration, such as LTE-V and 5G. It requires extremely short latency and high reliability, and needs to support active safety applications; the vehicle-to-cloud network mainly uses telematics communications, such as 3G/4G/5G, through the connection between the vehicle and the cloud; it has a wide coverage range and can be connected to the Internet, but has a large latency and is not suitable for emergency safety applications; the in-vehicle network refers to the wired connection between the vehicle and internal sensors, CAN BUS, high-speed Ethernet; the wireless connection between the vehicle and mobile phones and other devices, including Bluetooth, WiFi, and NFC.
Networking realizes the onlineization of vehicles and various network-based service applications and corresponding data collection. Networking makes vehicles no longer a tool that cannot "grow", and through OTA technology, the functions and performance of vehicles can continue to grow iteratively. In addition, networking enables the vehicle infotainment system to obtain online data and services, making the vehicle another entrance to the Internet world after computers and mobile phones, and making it a reality to collect a large amount of various data when the vehicle is running. In the future, when the real-time operation of the vehicle can be directly controlled by the network and most of the vehicle data can be exchanged with the cloud in real time, it will be the time when networking matures. Our company advocates "software-defined cars", and it is no longer news to sell software functions as commodities separately.
4. Sharing
Sharing refers to the sharing of vehicles and travel. Some people also call it service-oriented, which means that mobile travel will be provided as a service, thus changing the current situation where everyone needs to purchase a vehicle. Sharing currently seems to be just a business model based on network positioning services.
The impact of networking and sharing on automotive wiring harnesses is mainly the increase in the types and numbers of special wires and special connectors on vehicles. Special wires have the technical characteristics of high reliability, low electromagnetic radiation, low power consumption, low latency and synchronous real-time performance. The characteristics of this product are completely different from traditional wires, so new challenges need to be posed to design and testing capabilities. Special wire connectors are developing rapidly, from single type to integrated type, reducing volume, improving integration, and improving factory assembly efficiency.
The "new four modernizations" are the needs of the times. Integrated development will transform transportation tools into mobile terminals, promote changes in travel methods, and complete a consumption revolution.
In the context of the "new four modernizations" of automobiles, based on the problems and challenges of the wiring harness industry, the wiring harness field will develop in the five directions of lightweight, high pressure, high speed, platformization, and intelligent manufacturing in the future. In this regard, our company also has targeted solutions.
TOTEK's automotive portfolio encompasses a comprehensive range of products designed to meet the evolving needs of the automotive industry. From traditional automotive and forklift applications to the latest advances in electric vehicles and autonomous driving systems, our connectivity solutions are at the heart of modern automotive technology. By providing reliable, high-performance cable assemblies, TOTEK is driving the future of transportation, ensuring vehicles are safer, more efficient, and more connected than ever before. Whether you are developing traditional vehicles, electric vehicles, or cutting-edge autonomous driving systems, TOTEK has the solutions you need to succeed in the fast-paced world of automotive innovation.
