FEBRUARY 2024ELECTRICAL BUSINESS REVIEW8INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES THAT SOLVE UNIQUE NEEDS OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES & FULL-SIZE TRUCKSBy Robin Milavec, Executive Board Director, President, CTO, CSO,Nexteer AutomotiveIn recent years, the automotive industry has experienced a magnitude of change that has not been seen in over a century. This evolution continues and will be driven primarily by the mutually reinforcing and intersecting megatrends of Electrification, Mobility, Software, Connectivity and ADAS/Automated Driving. Together, these industry trends are known by many different names, one being C.A.S.E. (Connected, Automated, Shared and Electric).With these megatrends come a variety of new challenges for global automakers as well as Tier 1 automotive suppliers. For example, the Electrification megatrend brings challenges in areas such as load requirements, packaging, durability and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), among others. This presents opportunities for automakers and suppliers to innovate new products and technologies to meet the unique needs of electric vehicles (EVs).Overcoming EV Load Requirement ChallengesEVs are typically heavier than their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts ­ driven mostly by the vehicle battery weight. This means new and innovative steering systems will be required to handle the higher steering load requirements, such as Nexteer's High-Output Rack-Assist Electric Power Steering (REPS) system which nearly doubles the steering loadcapability compared to a standard REPS system. Steering up to 24 kilonewtonsof load on a 12-volt electrical system would have been thought to be unachievable just a few years ago, but now that capability exists with Nexteer's High-Output REPS.Overcoming EV Packaging ChallengesColumn and intermediate shaft technologies play an important role in electrification by offering reduced mass and packaging flexibility. For example, most EVs are designed with the battery being central and low in the vehicle. In certain situations, this design and placement requires an innovative intermediate shaft solution to accommodate the battery,such as Nexteer's Intermediate Shaft High Angle Joint that has high angulation capability (up to 63° +/­ 5°). New technologies like column position module and actuator assembly must also be smarter, quieter and more cost-effective than their predecessors.Robin MilavecIN MY OPINION
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