Automotive sensors usher in the "golden period" of the market, and domestic companies accelerate their layout

In the era of smart electric vehicles, how to monitor the working conditions of batteries and other components in real time, accurately transmit the surrounding environment, ensure the safety of vehicle operation, and promote the development of autonomous driving to a high level all requires sensors. This also means that sensors are becoming increasingly important to automobiles. With the rapid increase in the penetration rate of smart electric vehicles, the entire industry will usher in historic development opportunities.

Bicycle assembly volume increases/functions increase, and automotive sensors usher in a new era

From a functional perspective, automotive sensors can be divided into two categories: body sensors and intelligent environment sensors. Body sensors can be divided into temperature sensors, pressure sensors, speed sensors, current sensors, position sensors, optical sensors, etc. based on the collected body status information. ;Environmental sensors are divided into cameras, radars, etc. according to the equipment that collects information.

From the perspective of demand, the electrification of automobiles has increased the configuration of body sensors such as temperature and pressure. According to IHS Markit estimates, compared with traditional fuel vehicles, light hybrid HEV models have a total of 6 more current and temperature sensors due to increased electrification, while plug-in hybrid PHEV models have more than 35 current and temperature sensors. In addition, for pure electric vehicles, battery safety and other issues also need to be monitored by additional sensors.

"Electric vehicles have brought a lot of demand to the sensor industry. For example, traditional automobile pressure sensors usually use 2-3 groups, and now electric vehicles use 10-15 groups. In the area of ​​pressure sensor calibration equipment, our business will be from 2022 to 2023 It has almost doubled, mainly from electric vehicles," Su Jialin, general manager of sales of WIKA China, said in an interview with Gasgoo Auto recently.

In addition to electrification, automobile intelligence continues to advance, placing more demands on the number and functions of sensors. We have seen a significant increase in the number of smart environment sensing products such as cameras and radars in mainstream new cars.

"Previously, reversing radars were only optional. Now we see that the number of ultrasonic radars on new cars has increased from 3 to 5, 12 or even more. This is an opportunity and a challenge for technology providers, forcing companies to Technology is constantly being upgraded. Taking Audiway as an example, in order to solve the problem of co-channel interference, last year the company launched an AK2 ultrasonic radar that can be coded and frequency-modulated to achieve long- and short-range switching. "Guangdong Audiway Sensing Technology Co., Ltd. Market. and Shi Peng, director of the Product Management Department, said.

Image source: Audiway

Overall, as the penetration rate of smart electric vehicles continues to increase, the automotive sensor market has promising prospects. According to CICC estimates, by 2026, China's automotive sensor market is expected to reach 144.9 billion yuan, and the global automotive sensor market is expected to reach 380.3 billion yuan.

Domestic companies accelerate penetration, and new entrants increase

From the perspective of market structure, the domestic automotive sensor industry is still dominated by foreign capital, with Bosch and Sensata as industry leaders. Valeo, Denso, NXP, and Infineon also have strong comprehensive competitiveness.

Domestic companies started late and mainly focus on the body sensor market such as humidity, temperature, photosensitivity and pressure. The more mature companies include: Baolong Technology, Huagong Technology, Suao Sensing, Riying Electronics, Tenglong Co., Ltd., etc. In the field of intelligent environmental sensors, some companies such as Jingwei Hengrun, Sagitar Juchuang, Huawei, Hesai Technology, etc. have also made good progress in the cameras/radar required for intelligent driving.

At the same time, we see that more and more players are getting involved in related industry chain fields. At the recently held 2023 International Sensor Technology and Application Exhibition, Gasgoo found that many booths displayed automotive-related technologies in one corner. Zhang Zhiyi, general manager of the analog product line of Chipsea Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., told Gasgoo that “automobiles are an area that cannot be ignored, especially the rapid development of new energy vehicles, which has brought new hope and space to the industry. Chipsea Technology has been established for 20 years and has mature technologies in ADC and MCU. However, it is still in its infancy in the automotive business field. The proportion of revenue is not large, but the proportion of R&D investment is the largest. We are very optimistic about this field. business prospects.”

Compared with the strong entry of Chipsea Technology and others, some companies are cautious. Li Jian, general manager of Hangzhou Jinghua Microelectronics Shanghai Branch, said bluntly: "Automobiles are related to life safety, the verification cycle is long, and the electronic and electrical architecture is becoming more and more complex. It is complex and very challenging for new entrants. For this reason, we are still very cautious, but we are making technical reserves. For example, we are developing and testing the lithium battery management BMS AFE chip, and its technology can be used in the future. Automotive related chip design.”

According to data, as one of the core application fields of sensors, the automotive sensor market currently accounts for nearly 20%. Therefore, whether you are optimistic or cautious, the considerable market space and prospects are bound to attract more and more cross-border players. The entire industry is becoming more and more popular, and the market structure will inevitably undergo new changes.