Big coffee industry predicts three industry trends affecting the automotive industry in 2018

According to foreign media reports, Stefan Issing, head of global automotive industry at IFS, predicts that the new data-driven services, powerful lightweight materials, and the rapid construction of electric vehicle charging infrastructure will become the three industry trends affecting the automotive industry in 2018. The following points were made.

1. Schaeffler uses digital strategies to drive business development

Taking the Schaeffler Group as an example, in 2016 the Group’s auto parts business had sales of US$ 10.88 billion. Schaeffler also announced that it will implement a brand-new digital strategy for its automotive business. In October 2017, Schaeffler formally acquired the German information technology company autinity systems GmbH, which is responsible for providing professional digital equipment data recording and evaluation services.

Schaeffler CEO Klaus Rosenfeld revealed to Automotive News: "According to the company's prospects, as of 2030, global vehicle production will reach 120 million, of which 30% of the vehicles may be pure electric vehicles. The company is changing products. The combination has a lot of experience. For Schaeffler, the change is just a common practice.” For this reason, companies need an enterprise software that ensures their agility and competitiveness as support, and integration of such software takes time.

2. High-strength and lightweight new materials such as carbon fiber reinforced composite materials will become hot pets

How to reduce weight and safety? In fact, both can be both. However, over the years, car companies have fallen into a dilemma in order to meet the above demand: some car companies focus on lightweighting (reduce greenhouse gas emissions), while others pay attention to the safety of vehicles (using more heavy components, and their practices The former is exactly the opposite.)

In 2018, a new generation of materials will be applied at a faster rate. This type of material is lighter in weight and safer, and it is designed to meet both increasingly stringent vehicle safety and CO2 emission regulations. Materials such as aluminum and high-strength steel will become standard materials for vehicles. The strength and safety of carbon fiber-reinforced composites are even higher. This material is currently used in sports cars and will be applied to more other types of vehicles in the future. This kind of carbon fiber sheet is composed of a hard-coded layer and is made of almost pure carbon fiber, and is formed by bonding a hardened plastic adhesive such as an epoxy resin.

With the increase of investment in R&D of CFRP, the cost will fall in the future: this type of new material is expensive. A recent study by Goldman Sachs on the automotive industry in 2025 (Cars 2025) reveals that the current price of carbon fiber reinforced composites is 40 times higher than that of ordinary steel. In addition, the material also has many requirements for professional production skills and equipment.

However, many developers are working with European universities to develop new plastic and carbon fiber sheet materials. With the accelerated application of this material in conventional vehicles, the cost of high-strength steel and aluminum may drop significantly, eventually leading to the cost of carbon fiber-reinforced composites falling with new production methods.

3. The lack of standardized electric vehicle charging stations and battery performance issues will restrict the development of electric vehicles

On the whole, the increase in the number of electric vehicles has become a trend. However, the application and promotion of electric vehicles has been subject to two major obstacles: the lack of standardized charging stations and the performance of batteries.

Regulators, governments, and manufacturers need to take warning that even in countries that are actively promoting electric vehicles, if there is no standardized charging infrastructure, it will take longer to fully realize the market potential of electric vehicles, and the battery itself is also A big problem.

Manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers need to have a long-term vision and a big picture. The era of electric vehicles has come to an all-time, but the standard charging stations and battery performance are still among the obstacles, which seriously restricts the expected growth rate of the industry. How to solve these two obstacles well will become the focus of the industry in the future. (This article is taken from /betanews.com)