Hella, the German lighting and electronics specialist, said that if its customers’ projections are met, its new laser-based light detecting and ranging (LIDAR) advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) will be as high volume as all existing radar-based systems in Europe put together.
Go deeper with GlobalData
ADAS is due to be introduced on a new US vehicle in June 2005 but Hella would not name the model line which would be fitted with the new system.
The system uses an infrared distance measurement system that costs just €150, compared with €300 for conventional radar or €1000 for a top-line scanning radar, said Tilmann Seubert, head of advanced development at the component maker’s electronics division.
But the performance of the infrared distance measurement system is superior to radar systems, especially in bad weather, and overcomes early problems with light-based systems that were blinded by rain and fog.
“It can look through rain” he said.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataIf the fitment rate meets target, he believes the fitment rate of LIDAR systems in new vehicles will exceed those of radar-based systems by 2010.
Adaptive cruise control is a critical technology in the growth of next-generation driver assistance systems but has been held back by its high cost over the last few years.
Sales have fallen short of the early expectations of market participants such as Bosch and TRW.
Hella’s system functions like a normal ACC with distance automatically maintainded by brake and engine intervention.
It has been working on the system for seven years and has invested about €20 million in research and development.
Hella chose an infrared-based system because of its strength in optical systems and because there were already several competitors developing radar-based systems.
The system uses 12 sensors to ‘see’ objects up to 150 metres ahead of the vehicle.
Further cost reduction would have been possible with a reduction in the number of sensors but that would have mean that the system did not meet its maker’s objective of at least matching the performance of radar systems, said Seubert.
Hella is working on a lower cost distance-sensing system at around €100 for markets with lower average speeds where lower distance ranges or 100-120 metres are required, but will use a 24 GHz radar for this product.
Hella’s electronics business divisions made sales of €1,032 million in the financial year ended 31st May 2004, about a third of the privately owned German group’s total.
The company’s so-called ‘vision 2012 roadmap’ sees sales of €2.1 billion in its electronics business by the end of the planning period, said Hella Electronics CEO Martin Stark.
The division has been growing at 10-13% a year over the last five years, said Stark, and he is looking for 15-20%.
The growth will diversify the electroncs division’s customer base, he said.
Currently DaimlerChrysler and Volkswagen together account for 55% of sales.
Part of the business is in headlamp-related products, such as level sensors, which the group sells to other suppliers.
But its major activity is body electronics, which account for €400 million.
A second major activity is the Hella-Behr Therma Control business, a joint venture with the Stuttgart-based heat exchanger specialist Behr GmbH.
Through its Intedis joint venture with Leoni AG, Hella Electronics has an interest in systems architecture for integrated power and signal distribution.
It is also activite in x-by-wire sensors, driver assistance sensors and a small business in actuators for luggage compartments and other applications.
R&D expenditure by the division was just under 10% of sales in 2003/04, and the spend on research and development grew faster than sales in the last three years as the division has prepared for a major product push, in particular its driver assistance systems.
Hella Electroncis has expanded its development team in the United States to 92 engineers “for major strategic orders in the NAFTA market”, said Stark.
Hella’s current business in North America is mostly in relays but the operation will dramatically change its product structure in the next two years.
In addition to the LIDAR ACC Hella will start series production of a rear view camera for a customer in North America from the end of 2005.
Stark said that Hella’s sales in NAFTA will double to €160 million in the next three years, and he expects them to reach over €400 million by 2012.
Hella Electronic’s development centre in China is also growing fast – from 18 employees today to 35 by the end of 2005 and 50 employees longer term. Stark expects sales of €50 million in Asia by 2007 and plans for €200 million by 2012.
In Europe Hella’s new electronic product launches include a 24 GHz radar-based side obstacle warning system that will go into production in mid 2005 and contact-less inductive steering angle sensors from 2007.
Hella expects substantial growth from its intelligent battery sensor (IBS) and battery condition monitoring products developed in conjunction with Auto Kabel and Moll.
The IBS product, developed from research undertaken into 42 volts technology but now put on ice, will reach a production volume of 1.2 million units in 2006, Hella executives said.
SupplierBusiness.com
