Schaeffler's 2023 China Technology Symposium Showcases Innovative Technologies for Future Mobility
Nearly 700 customers attended the event, which featured a wide range of products and technologies from Schaeffler's low-carbon drive, chassis, and future mobility divisions.
Schaeffler's China-based teams developed many of the innovative technologies on display, highlighting the company's growing local R&D capabilities.
Schaeffler is committed to the Chinese market and is expanding its local R&D and manufacturing capabilities to better meet the needs of Chinese customers.
Shanghai and Suzhou, China, November 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Global trends such as climate change, population growth, and digitalization are having a profound impact on society, including the transportation sector.
At the 2023 Schaeffler China Technology Symposium in Suzhou on November 1-3, nearly 700 customers from the automotive industry had the opportunity to experience Schaeffler's latest research and development achievements and technology applications for future mobility.
"People's mobility needs are growing, and Schaeffler is committed to using innovative technologies to make mobility more efficient, intelligent, and sustainable," said Mads Jacobsen, CEO of Schaeffler Automotive Technologies. "Achieving this vision requires collaboration across the entire industry. Through this important event, we not only want to showcase Schaeffler's latest technologies, but also to use this opportunity to strengthen our cooperation with customers."
Schaeffler's technology symposiums are held every four years, and this year's event was the 12th. The event has grown from a small gathering of about 50 customers in 1978 to a major event for Schaeffler's customers in Germany, the United States, Japan, and China.
At the 2023 Schaeffler China Technology Symposium, Schaeffler's technology experts showcased the company's technical expertise and innovation in low-carbon drive, chassis, and future mobility through more than 10 technical presentations, a variety of exhibits, and on-site test drives.
Electrified powertrain solutions
Since the establishment of its independent e-mobility division in 2018, electrified solutions have been one of Schaeffler's core business areas. In 2022, Schaeffler received new orders worth 5 billion euros in the e-mobility sector, bringing the company's cumulative order bookings in this area to 16 billion euros since 2018. This is a strong testament to Schaeffler's success in the e-mobility sector.
"The global electric vehicle market is accelerating," said Jacobsen. "Schaeffler expects that by 2030, 80% of new passenger cars worldwide will be electrified, including hybrid and battery-electric vehicles. In China, the electrification process is even faster, and we expect this ratio to exceed 90% by 2030. Schaeffler is well-prepared for this development, and we can provide comprehensive solutions from single components to complete systems to meet customer needs."
Electric axles are an important part of Schaeffler's electrified solutions and play a key role in the company's e-mobility business growth. In this product area, Schaeffler innovatively launched a coaxial electric axle solution during the development of its first-generation electrification technology, which was put into mass production in 2018. Based on this foundation, Schaeffler has been continuously expanding its product portfolio for electric axles to meet the requirements of e-mobility technology in terms of high voltage, high system efficiency, high power density, and high integration. For example, Schaeffler's four-in-one electric axle integrates an electric motor, controller, and coaxial reducer, as well as a thermal management module. This makes the entire system more efficient, compact, and energy-efficient, which can further improve the range and ride comfort of electric vehicles. Schaeffler's high-performance dual-motor electric axle system based on a coaxial reducer further increases power density, and combined with the vehicle's torque vectoring control, performance is maximized.
Schaeffler's core strength in the electrification sector also lies in its electric motors, which are essential components of electric axles and hybrid modules. Based on its core competitiveness in industrialization, Schaeffler can provide a wide range of products for customers, including asynchronous motors and permanent magnet synchronous motors, axial flux motors for sports cars, and brushless synchronous motors."Only this year, we have launched seven electric motor customer projects, three of which are from China," said Mads Jacobsen. "This shows that our products are widely recognized by customers."Schaeffler will invest more than €500 million in the global expansion of electric motor production capacity and the construction of new production lines by 2026.
Innovative Chassis Applications and Future Mobility
In addition to electrified powertrain solutions, Schaeffler is also helping the automotive industry move towards autonomous driving through innovative chassis application technologies, actively shaping the future of mobility. "Achieving driverless future mobility is also one of Schaeffler's core innovation areas," said Mads Jacobsen. In this area, Schaeffler's innovative products include leading line-control technology, which is also an essential core technology for achieving future autonomous driving.
At the symposium, Schaeffler showcased the unique advantages of this innovative technology through the HWA (steer-by-wire) and RWA (wheel-end steering). Line-control steering completely eliminates mechanical connections, not only can it achieve different steering control strategies, but also creates unlimited possibilities for new cockpit design. Schaeffler plans to start production of key components of the line-control steering system around 2025, and then will launch a fully integrated complete line-control steering system.
Schaeffler's innovative products in the chassis application field also include the electromechanically integrated rear wheel steering system, which has already been mass-produced and applied to a pure electric SUV model of a global well-known automaker. Schaeffler's rear-wheel steering system can improve the handling and flexibility of the vehicle in urban traffic, improve lane change stability, and make parking easier and more comfortable. Thanks to Schaeffler's planetary roller screw technology, the product is more compact, lighter, more efficient, and quieter than similar products on the market.
Schaeffler's vision of shaping the future of mobility is not only achieved through its own technological advantages, but also through strong partnerships. At the IAA Munich Motor Show this year, Schaeffler announced a partnership with Dutch company VDL Groep to jointly develop and produce a new generation of autonomous shuttle buses for public transportation. The two companies will also work with Mobileye, which will provide autonomous driving systems for the shuttle buses. At the Shanghai Auto Show this year, Schaeffler signed a mass production cooperation agreement with the autonomous truck company Zhijia Technology to develop and produce electric power steering systems for it. The two companies work together to promote the application and innovative development of intelligent driving technology for heavy trucks.
In China, for China: Continuously strengthening local R&D and production
Since entering China for investment and production in 1995, Schaeffler has always adhered to the strategy of localization development, actively serving local customers and markets. This year, Schaeffler's second R&D center in China was officially opened in Changsha, and the new R&D building at Schaeffler's headquarters in Shanghai Anting was officially put into use, further enhancing Schaeffler's local R&D and innovation capabilities in China. Since the establishment of the R&D center in China, Schaeffler's local R&D team has been continuously improving its capabilities, from application development to basic research, from introducing advanced foreign technologies to China, to local independent innovation. It has become an important part of Schaeffler's global technology capabilities.
Among the many technologies showcased at the symposium, there are many innovative technologies that are led by local teams in China and are facing the Chinese market, including the already mass-produced two-in-one electric axle, hybrid module, and the intelligent electrohydraulic power steering system (e2HPS) for commercial vehicle autonomous driving. The variable damping damper (VDS) is a new product developed by Schaeffler's local team. This product is used in the vehicle's suspension system and provides multiple technical routes for customers to choose from. It can not only improve the comfort of the vehicle, but also make driving more fun. With its outstanding industrialization capabilities and local production layout, Schaeffler's innovative products in the fields of electric drive and intelligent driving are being mass-produced in China. In addition to Schaeffler's in-wheel motors and flat wire motors, which were mass-produced this year, Schaeffler's intelligent electrohydraulic power steering system and highly integrated thermal management system will soon be mass-produced. Schaeffler's innovative electromechanically integrated rear wheel steering system production line has been successfully transferred from Germany to Schaeffler's Xiangtan factory and is about to start mass production.
Dr. Chen Xiangbin, President of Schaeffler's Automotive Technology Business Unit in China, said: "Schaeffler is always committed to becoming the preferred technology partner for customers. With its rich innovative products, leading technologies, and deepening local capabilities, Schaeffler can quickly and flexibly respond to customer needs, and work with customers to shape the future of sustainable mobility."
Schaeffler develops comprehensive solutions for electrified powertrains, from single components to complete systems (illustrated by motor component development)
（Schaeffler has leading motor stator winding manufacturing technology, and is one of the few companies in the world that masters stator winding technologies such as hairpin winding and wave winding）
（Schaeffler's rear-wheel steering system has been put into production and is applied to a pure electric SUV model of a global well-known automaker）
Reference：http://www.6300.net/info/detail_237613.html
