TRW Automotive says it has started production of its electrically-powered steering (EPS) belt drive system for the first time on a global vehicle platform launching in China, with the company manufacturing the technology at Anting.
“Electric steering is a rapidly growing technology globally due to the many advantages it can provide,” said TRW executive vice president for sales and business development, Peter Lake. “Creating a regional production base for our customers will provide a cost effective source for these fuel-saving and emission-reducing technologies.
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“It will enable us to expand our EPS footprint for the production of global platforms and help to make it available to our broader customer base in China and Asia.”
During the last 18 months, TRW has installed equipment to produce and assemble the belt drive units at its Anting facility, with line capacity expected to be in the range of 400,000 units annually by 2014.
TRW offers two Electrically Powered Steering (EPS) solutions to cover the vehicle platform range, which consume power only when steering assist is needed.
The first is the column drive unit which is mounted on the steering column and the second is belt drive where the assist power is applied directly to the rack with a belt drive and ball nut mechanism.
The company claims “significant fuel economy and CO2 emissions benefits” can be realised with both systems when compared to traditional hydraulic power steering.
TRW says the technology can deliver a fuel saving of 0.3L to 0.4 L/100km, with a corresponding reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of around 7-8g/km.
“We have already launched our column drive technology with both China domestic and international customers and are now investing heavily in capacity to introduce our latest innovation – EPS belt drive – to meet the needs of the China market,” said Lake.
“In addition to EPS, we are also adding local production capabilities for other advanced technologies such as airbag inflators, electric park brake and electronic stability control.”
