Market Shifts in Automotive Seat Materials
October 10th, 2022
ITB’s New Cabin Technologies Report included seating as a cabin component that would see potential change, due to the introduction of audio, sensing, switch controls, and more modular and movable seating/ A less-explored area of seating has been the A-Surface itself, which reflects changing market attitudes regarding [...]
Market Capitalization Changes at OEMs in June 2022
August 25th, 2022
Reflecting the new recessionary signals of the economy and a slowdown in the startup-driven investment cycle, series production BEV manufacturers Rivian and Lucid Motors lost their Top Ten ranking market capitalization in June 2022. Both OEMs dropped from the Top 10 to the bottom of the Top 20, joining value-priced BEV...
Electrification Forecast Trends in a Period of Uncertainty
August 15th, 2022
As of the summer of 2022, the automotive world is continuing to experience more than a mere rough patch. War, supply chain, the risk of recessions, and climate create operational issues on a weekly basis. In this environment, the long-promised forecasting scenario in which global vehicle production surpasses projected volumes of one hundred million is no longer “just around the corner”. These variables create lasting effects on OEM...
Electrified Vehicle Thermal/Fluid Architectures are Changing
July 18th, 2022
As vehicles become electrified new components including batteries, power electronics, and electric motors are added which present new thermal challenges. Although battery electric vehicles eliminate an internal combustion engine and traditional transmission, their thermal and fluid systems can be even more complex to compensate for lost waste heat. Automakers are making different choices to balance performance and cost challenges to maximize thermal/fluid architecture value.
Tesla sets the benchmark for highly integrated vehicles, including thermal and fluid systems. Other manufacturers are taking different approaches to maximize value based on different assumptions and constraints.
Click below to learn more about how other EV manufacturers such as BMW, BYD, Ford, Hyundai, Mercedes, SGMW, and Tesla are choosing thermal/fluid design architectures.
Fluid Management Systems are Strategically Important for EV Manufacturers
February 16th, 2022
Ford’s Electric Vehicle development shift highlights the importance of fluid management systems for future EV designs. Changing thermal/fluid system designs are an important part of improving range, charging speed, and passenger comfort as well as reducing mass on the order of 2kg or more and supporting EV cost reductions on the order of $1000. Furthermore, Ford realizes that it can’t wait for a minor platform refresh date, they must “reengineer the vehicle now” as a running change, as explained by Ford’s CEO Jim Farley.
Click HERE to learn more about Tesla’s thermal/fluid design change benchmarks and how other EV manufacturers like Ford must, and are responding »
Fluid Control and Conveyance Changes as Vehicles Are Electrified
December 8th, 2021
Electrified vehicles have significant coolant, refrigerant, and oil system content. ITB estimates that fluid system market growth will be in the 5-10% range over the next ten years, but individual component sub-segment growth may range from -20% to +20%. Fluid content and growth rates can vary greatly from one OEM to another as well as […]
Priorities of Intelligent Cabin Design: User Experience First
November 23rd, 2021
When ITB asked OEM Great Wall about improvements in interior ergonomics, Great Wall informed us that the term ergonomics is somewhat outdated. Now, the industry is talking about the experience. “Ergonomics focuses on human comfort, and human comfort is a part of the user experience. Experience may have a more spiritual entertainment (fun) added to the list. […]
BEV Thermal System Integration Challenges
September 28th, 2021
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) have higher thermal system content than conventional vehicles; engine and transmission thermal systems are eliminated but thermal systems for the electric drive system, battery, cabin conditioning, and waste heat recovery are introduced. The thermal system for a BEV may exceed $1400 of content. Drive and thermal systems are being integrated to […]
Implications of Fast Charging on BEV Battery Thermal Management
September 28th, 2021
Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) charging time is a critical concern for driving long distances. DC fast charging is an important factor for raising vehicle value and increasing BEV market potential. For this reason, infrastructure, vehicles, and batteries are being designed to achieve shorter charge times. One industry objective is the ability to charge vehicles in […]
Adoption of Higher Value BEV Cabin Thermal Management Solutions
September 27th, 2021
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) use energy differently, conditioning the cabin accounts for a large portion of energy consumption. A baseline BEV may use half of its energy consumption to condition the cabin for city driving in cold ambient temperature reducing range by 50%, as shown below. In practice, improving BEV cabin heating holds more opportunities […]
