Automotive News Europe - September 2011 - 85

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE

SUPPLIERS

Federal-Mogul’s new coating helps reduce ring friction.
The company also has polymer-coated engine bearings, designed to withstand heavy use associated with fuel-saving, stop-start systems. For electric vehicles and hybrids, FederalMogul developed its CrushShield material, which surrounds and insulates high-voltage cables, to protect vehicle occupants and to keep the vehicle’s electrical system isolated in a crash. For interiors, Federal-Mogul will show ambient and accent lighting modules. One new technology uses energy-efficient LEDs that are also more compact to package and less distracting for drivers to operate. Johnson Controls Johnson Controls enters this year’s Frankfurt show with a much deeper portfolio of seating products after acquiring Germany’s Keiper, Recaro Automotive and C. Rob. Hammerstein Group earlier this year. Of the acquisitions, the Recaro brand is probably the best known, for offering high-end, performance-oriented seats. Recaro is expected to figure prominently at the show. Johnson Controls will give its ie:3 concept car a European debut after it was first shown at the Detroit auto show in January. The compact-sized concept has an electric motor and is a platform for Johnson Controls to show off its seating, electronics, interiors and battery technologies. The ie:3 has an unusually large, 9-inch graphic information display, which both the driver and passenger can use. It also has a head-up display for key driver information; a “virtual” instrument cluster, which displays data from various driver assistance systems; plus wireless recharging, for two mobile devices. The concept car’s lithium ion batteries are under the flat floor. Keiper is a leader in recliner system technology, and it is known for its engineering and manufacturing expertise in metals and mechanisms for car seats. Hammerstein is a global supplier of metal seat structures. Leoni Cable systems supplier Leoni says today’s vehicles contain a total of up to 3,000 meters of cable. As the industry switches from heavy and expensive materials such as copper in favor of aluminum and other materials and alternatives, cables represent a big potential savings in weight and cost. For instance, Leoni will display a solid aluminum conductor called a bus bar, designed to replace a typical copper cable, for connecting the vehicle’s battery to the engine. The component weighs 40 to 60 percent as much as the part it replaces, Leoni said. That represents a weight savings of about 3kg. It also saves space, the company said. Besides aluminum, Leoni said it is exploring the use of bronze; copper-clad steel; copper-clad aluminum; alloys such as copper-silver and copper-magnesium. Those substitutes for typical copper can reduce cable weight by more than 60 percent, the company said. TRW Safety technologies such as a new generation of radar technology will feature strongly for TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. “We’re using the IAA this year as a platform to highlight our latest innovations in intelligent or ‘cognitive’ safeSuppliers ty,” TRW CEO John Plant said. The new are developing radar systems, for modular systems, instance, can cover 360 such as TRW’s degrees around the airbag kit. vehicle. Plant said automakers are moving more and more to global vehicle platforms. The change is forcing suppliers to develop modular, “scalable” systems that meet widely different needs and price points in different regions of the world, even though the different variants all ride on the same basic platform. Examples of TRW’s modular technologies include electronic stability control; “scalable” camera systems; modular airbag kits; electrically powered steering systems. “Similar cars – even those from the same company – frequently have different equipment level re-quirements for, say, North America, Europe and China,” Plant said. Webasto Webasto will show a lightweight roof concept that weighs 20kg, half the weight of a conventional roof, because of the use of materials such as polycarbonate and a composite plastic material with what the company describes as a “paper honeycomb” core. Webasto has also found a way to integrate solar cells into the lightweight roof module that can deliver up to 200 watts of power. That’s enough power to operate ventilation while parked; cool the seats; or operate an on-board cooler. Eventually, solar power could also be used to help charge the batteries in an electric vehicle, the company said. ■

rificing performance. In the information technology sector, the supplier will show how a mobile phone can be used as a “virtual key” that can open the vehicle door and start the engine once the driver is in the car. The phone can also be used to customize radio pre-sets, seat settings and ambient lighting. Continental is also working on what it calls a “Magic UI,” for magic user interface, for integrating information, entertainment and portable devices so the driver can use them safely. Company innovations in the EV area include an electric motor that does not require any rare earth materials, which are expensive and potentially difficult to obtain. Continental also expects to show its eCar low-rolling-resistance tire developed specifically for electric vehicles. Denso Denso showcases a couple of technologies coming into widespread use in hybrids and electric vehicles: a state-of-the-art starter for start-stop systems, and an inverter for hybrid vehicles, which converts direct current from the battery to alternating current. In addition, as one of the largest mass-manufacturers of common-rail diesel systems, Denso expects to show a new injection control system, which it calls i-ART, for intelligentAccuracy Refinement Technology. Faurecia Faurecia faces the same challenges to save weight and cost as the rest of the supplier industry. But its customer-facing content must do those things while also maintaining passenger comfort and appealing styling. The supplier has developed a new SmartFit seat adjustment system that can be activated by mobile smartphone. The company will also show seats that focus on weight and packaging reduction. For instance, a new foam pad is comfortable even though it’s thinner. The lower-profile foam pad allows for better headroom in more fuel-efficient, aerodynamic vehicles with a lower roofline. Among the environmentally friendly and lightweight interior innovations developed by Faurecia is the use of flax fibers with polypropylene for the Smart ForTwo instrument panel. Federal-Mogul Federal-Mogul will highlight several technologies aimed at making gasoline engines more fuel-efficient, including its CarboGlide antifriction coating. The coating reduces ring friction up to 20 percent compared with other commonly used coatings, creating fuel-economy improvement benefits. Other components to be displayed, like new spark plug designs, are intended to work in conjunction with the latest turbocharged, gasoline direct-injection engines, which in turn are part of an industrywide trend toward engine downsizing.

Johnson Controls’ ie:3 concept EV car showcases seating, electronics, interiors and battery technologies.

SEPTEMBER 2011

ANE EXECUTIVE EDITION

Automotive News Europe - September 2011

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