Electrification and sustainability key drivers at 2023 Auto Shanghai

At the frontier of industry transformation, auto parts companies are actively developing technologies for smarter and greener mobilities to support the electrification and sustainable development of the automotive industry.

At the ongoing 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, or 2023 Auto Shanghai, auto parts manufacturers spare no efforts to present their advanced technologies and solutions with emphasis placed on the importance of intelligence, safety and sustainability while also showing commitment to the Chinese market.

For them, the principle is to be "fast adapted" to the market demand and form partnerships with the best.

At the exhibition, Continental unveiled its first cross-domain software solution, named the Vehicle Control High-Performance Computer, to get its foothold firm in intelligent carmaking. It said the solution was jointly developed by experts in Shanghai and Continental Software & System Development Center in Chongqing.

Focusing on future oriented technology, around 30 vehicle models from different manufactures with high-performance computers from Continental will go into production until 2024. In China, the company already received two large-volume orders for high-performance computers from Chinese manufacturers. One of them will be applied in Hyper GT – the first electric vehicle model from AION's premium brand Hyper.

Continental also cooperates closely with many local electric vehicle companies in China. Enno Tang, CEO of Continental China, announced a new strategic cooperation with Leap Motor at the auto show: "By jointly collaborating with our partners, we can accelerate the development of intelligent electric vehicles in China market. "

Another auto part firm Valeo also presented its latest technologies for smarter, safer and greener mobilities at the auto show. It for the first time showcased its eDeliver4U, an autonomous and electric delivery droid equipped with cutting-edge innovations and entirely developed in China.

The droid is based on an electrified chassis integrating Valeo's 48 Volts solutions for light mobility. Its lighting technologies enhance safety and ensure communication with other road users. And the sensor cleaning systems enable the droid to operate in all-weather conditions and various road environments and an ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) cooling system ensures stable driving even in high-temperature weather conditions.

Zhou Song, president of Valeo China, said that the company last year launched its 'Move Up' plan covering the 2022-2025 period, a value creation strategy built on sustainable mobility megatrends. It identified four strategic development directions that align with market trends: electrification acceleration, ADAS acceleration, interior experience reinvention, and lighting everywhere.

"These pillars are the center of the evolution of the automotive industry in China. The first year of implementation in China has demonstrated strong results with a sales growth of 7 percent, outperforming the market, and an order intake representing 2.2 times our sales," Zhou said.

According to the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, carbon emissions from cars account for over 80 percent of the total carbon emissions in the transportation sector in China. Moreover, these emissions make up 7.5 percent of the total carbon emissions in Chinese society.

Based on the center's data, it is predicted that by 2030, the adoption of electric vehicles and other emission-reducing measures will lead to a significant decrease in carbon emissions from cars. Specifically, the carbon emissions from the entire lifecycle of a car in China could be reduced to 1.03 billion tons by 2030, and to 160 million tons by 2060.

In the automotive industry, expanding the market for new-energy vehicles is just one aspect of reducing carbon emissions, while carbon reduction requires the participation of the entire industry chain, from research and development to production, consumption, and management of carbon footprints at every stage, ensuring energy conservation and emission reduction are achieved as much as possible.

Data showed that around 90 percent of carbon emissions from automotive manufacturing enterprises come from the supply chain, making it crucial to control the carbon emissions of the entire supply chain system. It is evident that reducing carbon emissions is not an easy task for the automotive industry, but that is something that has to be done.

Also at the auto show, Forvia Group, one of the top automotive suppliers combining Faurecia and HELLA, showed how it is charging ahead with its sustainability ambitions while helping automakers achieve their net-zero goals.

It showcased a series of groundbreaking technology and interactive experiences, to "illustrate Forvia's commitment to shaping safe, advanced, customized, and sustainable mobility experiences for the Chinese and global markets."

"With more than 30 years of history of both companies in China, Forvia has a strong and lasting relationship with the market and is a trusted part of Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). We are looking forward to inspiring mobility with OEMs in China," said Patrick Koller, CEO of Faurecia.

As the first automotive company with a net-zero target approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative – an initiative helping companies to set emission reduction targets in line with climate science and Paris Agreement goals, Forvia makes carbon neutrality the heart of its strategy and targets to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2045.

Especially in China, it is making efforts to reduce overall emissions in its industrial facilities, with a combo plant in Shenyang having been conferred the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, the most widely used green building rating system) Gold Certificate and a plant in Jiangxi Provinceto be the first conferred the CO2 Neutrality Plant in scope 1&2 of Group in China.