The wonderful future of electric vehicles is approaching as global automakers launch the latest electric models and invest in developing new technologies and establishing electric vehicle (EV) battery factories to promote next-generation innovation. At the same time, government agencies are introducing more and more incentives and regulations, which have brought great impetus to consumers, the automotive industry, and the application environment.

In October 2021, Molex's Dimensional Research stopped its research on Innovation in Automotive Electrification Survey and visited over 200 industry professionals from automotive companies, primary or secondary suppliers, and charging station suppliers in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and the Asia Pacific region (APAC).

The research results further confirm that automotive electrification is not just a transition to electric motors. In addition to using different engines, consumers' expectations for electric vehicles also include their desire to obtain safety, value, and convenience from electric vehicles. And the shared driving experience, quiet driving, high performance, and environmental maintenance that only electric vehicles can provide.

Enterprises in the entire electric vehicle ecosystem understand that automotive electrification is a complex undertaking that requires higher levels of initiative, highly complex engineering technology, and fully integrated manufacturing collaboration to promote next-generation EV innovation. Our research results also reflect the need for enhanced collaboration between automotive OEMs and their suppliers, working together to design and develop new functions that cover both the interior and exterior of the vehicle.

Opportunities and obstacles

Respondents generally believe that the top five features of electric vehicle innovation that have received the most attention include: autonomous driving and driving assistance, safety, overall cost, vehicle charging time, and vehicle range. Interestingly, primary or secondary suppliers have stated that the difficulty in their work lies in improving vehicle range and charging time, while automotive OEMs have stated that they are facing challenges in continuous vehicle maintenance and innovation in autonomous driving and driving assistance functions.

Overall, the results of Molex's research reflect the acceleration of the development and progress of electrification in the automotive industry. These strong developments are consistent with our work experience in the electrified ecosystem. The industry is stopping massive research and development and capital investment, especially in technology that changes the rules of the game, such as batteries and electronic power trains.

The vast majority of respondents believe that the electrification of vehicles is in the midst of a serious breakthrough. At the same time, we also recognize the ongoing challenges, all of which require the promotion of research, investment, and collaboration among practitioners.

Collaboration is crucial

Strategy Analytics, a market research organization, said that as automakers seek to acquire more advanced technology and essential component supplies, the acceleration of the pace of automotive electrification is driving OEM manufacturers to change their strategies. As a result, mainstream automotive manufacturers are collaborating with battery suppliers, motor developers, and semiconductor manufacturers to reduce technology gaps and gain advanced experience in these key areas.

Our research results reflect the importance of collaboration. OEM manufacturers have stated that they will enhance collaboration with primary or secondary suppliers as the best way to innovate. Similarly, suppliers also prioritize collaboration issues and increase R&D and capital investment to accelerate innovation with OEM partners. In particular, optimizing battery management can improve mileage, performance, and charging time, which is the common idea of all enterprises.

Respondents stated that they have certainly won in the innovation of batteries, modules or battery packs, motors, and powertrain electronics; But the bigger challenge lies in improving the controller unit, wiring, connectors, and buses, as well as cameras and sensors. 92% of people said that with the increase in electrification efforts, the internal design teams of enterprises will face more challenges and obstacles.

Serious issues that need to be addressed include shock, vibration, the risk of circuit looseness or damage, and safety threats related to thermal management and high currents. The internal design team must also address battery life cycle management and disposal issues. These industry realities have created market opportunities for companies such as Molex Molex to use its rich experience in power control units to clear obstacles for companies.

Automotive Architecture Category

Reducing weight is crucial to improving the range of electric vehicles. Today's vehicles have longer wires and cables that can be streamlined through a steering zone architecture. According to the survey, 84% of respondents agree that this simplified approach represents the future development of electric vehicle design. According to recent articles from Automotive World, almost all OEMs are moving from deploying 100 or more embedded control unit (ECU) architectures per vehicle to a more streamlined centralized architecture, using a few high-performance computers to minimize ECU usage, device operation, weight, and ultimately cost.

Traditional vehicle architectures have a huge electrical network, and streamlining them is the key to improving efficiency and simplifying manufacturing processes. In this regard, Molex Molex has also experienced a serious pause. A processing plan for application center connectivity, power supply, and signal strength has been developed to support specific equipment and online applications from OEM manufacturers and tier 1 suppliers. More than half of the respondents believe that the zonal regional architecture will define the future of vehicle design within five years, but 34% still believe that the zonal architecture will take longer to become a de facto specification.

UBS, an investment bank, predicts that electric vehicles will account for 20% of global new vehicle sales by 2025, and will perform better by 2030, with an estimated market share expected to reach 50%. As evidenced by the latest research by Molex Molex, the competition towards the future of vehicle electrification is accelerating to a halt. Therefore, more than ever before, practitioners in the field of electric vehicles need to work diligently and jointly promote the development of this important industry.

In the global market, the number and category of various EV and HEV models (from compact cars to large pickup trucks) have significantly increased. In addition, battery, power management, and energy regeneration systems have made constant progress, making the range of electric vehicles after a single charge constantly longer, closer to the driving interval of gasoline fueled vehicles after refueling. As the range of electric vehicles continues to increase, concerns about past obstacles to the adoption of electric vehicles have occasionally decreased. Moreover, as the network of charging stations expands and rapid charging becomes more and more common, the "gap" between electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles will be further reduced, allowing electric vehicles to realize their great development potential.