Innovative technologies lead the way at 2023 Auto Shanghai
Sustainable and intelligent technologies and solutions are taking the spotlight at the ongoing 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, with exhibitors unveiling their development strategies for the Chinese market.
German automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler showcased a series of its latest innovative products, technologies and solutions in CO2-efficient drives and chassis application fields with the theme "Energizing the Next Generation."
"The development of China's auto industry is on the fast track and the trend of electrification and autonomous driving is particularly obvious," said Matthias Zink, CEO of Automotive Technologies Schaeffler Group. "We eye huge development potentials in China."
Last year, new orders the company received in the electric drive field were worth 5 billion euros (US$5.4billion).
One of Schaeffler's new products which made its debut at the show was its bearings for EVs and pure-electric driving systems.
With a focus on development in the smart driving field, the company's first intelligent rear wheel steering system has gone into mass production, as has its hub motor, providing ideal drive solutions for future transportation.
The company also showed a series of innovative products and technological solutions to cut emissions of vehicles.
Prioritizing localization development strategy since its entry to China in 1995, Schaeffler planned to expand its research and development center in Anting, Jiading District, Shanghai, and also build a new base in Taicang, neighboring Jiangsu Province, to further lift its research and development capability and production capacity in China.
The auto show is also an opportunity for auto parts suppliers to display their latest technology.
Chuhang Technology, a five-year-old startup company that focuses on the development and production of 77GHz to 79GHz millimeter-wave (MMW) radar sensors, unveiled its latest innovative product, an "invisible" automotive radar, named ART, on Wednesday, the second day of the expo.
After it is installed into a car's windshield, the radar is almost invisible with its function becoming more powerful using the company's MMW technology.
It can also be used in biological detection such as measuring heart rate and breath.
"It can be adopted in an auto burglar alarm system," said Chu Yongyan, the founder and CEO of the company.
"When someone breaks into a car, the radar can detect their breath and heart rate from inside."
To achieve their goal, the company, for the first time, separated the radar antenna from the PCB board and chip, and was able to install it on car windscreens in an indiscernible manner through high-precision printing and etching technology.
While realizing the basic functions of an auto radar sensor, ART also proved to perform well on attaining a wider detection range and gaining more accurate detection data.
"Compared with traditional laser radars, the MMW radar performs better on penetrability as well as data return speed," Chu said.
Chu said that in the future, Chuhang would engage more in Shanghai's auto market.
Founded by a team of German returnees and headquartered in Nanjing, neighboring Jiangsu Province, the company also established a subsidiary in Shanghai's Jiading District.
"We have cooperated with some Shanghai-based auto companies, such as SAIC Group, and will extend our business after our smart factory is put into production."