OEMs Want Beefed-Up Electronics

U.S. auto makers want more durable, scalable electronics from their suppliers and see electric-vehicle infrastructure and driver-assistance technologies as major growth opportunities for parts makers, Detroit Three executives and key overseas-based manufacturers say.

Micky Bly, who heads electrical systems for hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries at General Motors Co., rants against the current durability of control modules.

“That element of the business is still way behind in understanding the automotive-grade requirements in their electronics and sensing systems, whether it is contactors, high-voltage (or) low-voltage sensing systems,” Bly says during a panel discussion at SAE Convergence 2010.

As a pioneer in the EV push with the upcoming Chevy Volt, GM has a lot at stake. To reduce consumer fears over such revolutionary technology, the auto maker has taken the potentially costly step of standing behind the Volt's electric-propulsion system for eight years or 100,000 miles (160,930 km).

Unlike most vehicles, which demand an average of three hours of performance per day from their electrical systems, EVs such as the Volt or the upcoming Nissan Leaf could be running 24 hours between on-road use and overnight recharging.

At the same time, most vehicles on the world's roadways 10 years from now will predominately rely on an internal-combustion engine, adds Marc Duval-Destin, director-research and advanced engineering at PSA Peugeot Citroen.

Suppliers should work to bring down the cost of integrating the thermal engine with electrification, he says.

Tailor investments to your customer, too, advises Jim Buczkowski, director-electrical and electronics-systems engineering at Ford Motor Co.

“One of the big differentiators we all have is in the area of (human-machine interface), and developing a DNA specific to our company,” he says.

Tier 2 semiconductor suppliers must invest in equipment and facilities to increase the availability of their product and put an end to the current allocation-based supply stream, says Alan Amici, head of electrical and electronic engineering at Chrysler Group LLC.

“It is an unsustainable business model for us right now,” he says.

The Obama Admin. seeks 1 million EVs on the nation's highways by 2015.