GLOBAL ELECTRIC VEHICLE WIRING HARNESS MARKET
INTRODUCTION
An electric drivetrain of an HEV or EV consists of a wide variety of electronics such as high-voltage battery and motors. They are connected by high-voltage wiring harness for power transfer.
A wiring harness is an organized set of wires, terminals and connectors that run through the vehicle and relay information and electric power, thereby connecting a variety of components. Power and information travel through this delicate network.
The wiring harness in the vehicle is one of the heaviest and most expensive individual parts of a car (after the engine and transmission). In addition, the vast range of variants of today’s vehicle models requires a tailor-made cable system for almost every possible configuration as there is considerable change in various systems from vehicle to vehicle
Electric vehicles require additional expensive high-voltage lines for AC-DC charging, high-voltage batteries and, traction as well as special wiring for the high-voltage battery and the battery management system. GM is bringing about wireless battery management system in their new electric vehicle platform Ultium.
INCOMING CHANGES IN ELECTRIC VEHICLE WIRING HARNESS
The changes in vehicle electronics will also result in a variety of changes in cable and cable channels:
- Introduction of a more centralized computer architecture with powerful domain computers instead of dozens of distributed ECUs
- increased use of sensors with correspondingly higher data volumes within the vehicle and between the vehicle and the outside world, as well as the electrification of the drive train
In future data-driven business models which is gaining traction right now across manufacturers, some functions may only be temporarily enabled via OTA software updates.
In the case of electric vehicles, this can also include the motor performance. For car manufacturers to be able to implement such functions, the cabling must be designed for the maximum possible performance, even if this is rarely required at all due to the uncertainty of usage and also preparing for shifts in business models at any time
DESIGN REQUIREMENTS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE WIRING HARNESS
In addition to energy recovery and some other auxiliary technology, the bigger battery is the car’s important design ideas, so proper body layout, sufficient interior space, and apt safety features also put forward a higher design requirement. Soft, high bending radius of the wiring harness on the compact installation space is particularly important.
Thin-walled wire is a good choice for improving the softness of the wiring harness and reducing the space occupied by the wiring harness. However, compared with the thick insulation wall wire, its wear resistance, temperature and pressure resistance will achieve a higher performance claim.
Performance check for electric wire harness
- high temperature
- low temperature
- anti-aging performance
- Resistance to liquids (gasoline, diesel, coolant, battery acid, etc.)
- Insulation is easy to age after contact with the oil short-circuit is also more and more cases confirmed by the accident.
Harness passes through many areas where it requires protection against heat, dust, moisture etc. Wire harness protection prevents damage caused by wire vibration damage, abrasions and incidental contact with other pieces of heat-producing equipment.
Thermal management tubes and sleeves are designed to operate under high temperatures and provide fire resistance under extreme conditions. The tubes and sleeves must be difficult to ignite, and they must self-extinguish promptly. The most common types of cable and wire protection are
- braided sleeving
- corrugated loom
- heat shrink
- vinyl tubing
- conduit
A typical wiring harness drawing has cable lengths, component view, grommet, connector specifications and inline connectors.
MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
The global electric vehicle wiring harness market is a small derivative of the automotive wiring harness market. In 2020, the market size was estimated at $XX Million growing at –% CAGR till 2025.
COMPANY PROFILES
- Sumitomo
- Yazaki Corporation
- Delphi
- Furukawa Electric
- Lear Corporation
- Leoni AG
- Motherson Sumi
- BizLink Holding Inc
