Japanese supplier Keihin – a Honda affiliated company that specialises in fuel supply systems and engine parts – is planning a big product shift towards electric power control systems.
A Nikkei report suggested the company is also planning to grow its business in China, widely seen as a growth pole for electric vehicles in the future.
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“The race is now on for the power control system business,” Keihin President Chitoshi Yokota said, according to Nikkei.
At the Tokyo Show in October, Keihin exhibited its “E drive system,” a package of electronic parts used in hybrid vehicles to control power systems. At the core of the new system is a power control unit, which controls power supplies to and from the battery and motor. The Nikkei report noted that the unit boosts electricity supplied by the battery to power the motor. It also transforms electricity generated by the motor, which can be used to charge the battery.
The PCU can also serve as a main component in plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, the report added.
Yokota told the news agency that there are big opportunities for suppliers ahead and Keihin hopes to sell its new system to at least three more automakers, including a Chinese one, in addition to Honda, by the early 2020s. He also said that he sees Bosch as key rival in the power control units business.
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By GlobalDataKeihin is aiming to diversify its customer base (over 80% with Honda at the moment) and product offering away from engine parts and systems.
