A global electronics firm has launched a new ground-breaking technology which it says will increase energy efficiency in cars and extend the travelling range in electric vehicles.
Dutch-based NXP Semi-conductors has unveiled a system, two years in the making, that allows vehicles to cleverly divert power where it is needed and save energy in the process.
Called CAN partial networking, the technology has been identified by automakers as a necessary step in reducing carbon emissions from vehicles and increasing energy efficiency.
Current cars have up to 100 modules that control different electrical functions in the vehicle, from power windows to seat adjustment to door locks.
Until now, those modules have been interconnected in such a way that they all had to have power when the vehicle was in use – whether they were needed or not. Using partial networking, automakers can control which modules can be activated or inactivated together.
The CAN partial networking semi-conductors will be manufactured at NXP’s Singapore facility in Toa Payoh before being shipped elsewhere in Asia for assembly.
NXP has had its regional headquarters and one of 11 manufacturing facilities in Singapore since it emerged from the 2006 sale of the micro-electronics branch of the Dutch firm Philips Electronics.
NXP’s automotive business development manager, Karsten Penno, told Eco-Business in a telephone interview the technology would have industry-wide impact. “Eventually, all car makers will make use of the technology,” he said.
NXP’s innovation follows a call by big-name automakers at a recent automotive conference in Germany for manufacturers to integrate CAN partial networking technology.
Ricky Hudi, managing director for electronics at Audi, said in a statement that Audi and Volkswagen have already begun to integrate partial networking into upcoming car models because of the efficiency and environmental benefits.
“CAN Partial Networking is an area where we see great potential for energy savings. Audi estimates a mid-term reduction potential on CO2 emissions of about 2.6 grams per kilometre and fuel savings of 0.11 litres per 100 kilometre when using CAN Partial Networking,” he added.
NXP’s Mr Penno said the energy saved, which translates into either fuel savings or increased range in electric vehicles, would vary according to the type of vehicle and how automakers decided to configure the network. Currently, several automakers are testing NXP’s technology in both electric and combustion vehicles.
He was unable to disclose specifically which automakers were using the new NXP technology, which could be ready for volume shipment as early as 2012. But he did say that currently, NXP is the only company to have a partial networking technology certified by both the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and Autosar under the respective standards NWP ISO 11898-6 and AUTOSAR R3.2.1.
The standards are technical guidelines developed by industry consensus through working groups.
NXP, a market leader in automotive semi-conductors that has sold about 2.5 billion devices to companies such Audi and Volkswagen since the mid-1990’s, chaired the ISO working group that developed the proposed new standard.
Mr Penno said the standards were the result of a close interaction between semi-conductor manufacturers, carmakers and companies such as Bosch, Continental and Delphi that supply electrical components for cars.
He added that the standards were openly accessible to encourage universal use within the automotive industry, and that NXP would provide engineering samples for testing purposes to accelerate the uptake process.
NXP aims to remain the market leader in the use of CAN partial networking to drive energy and fuel efficiency, said Mr Penno.
“The more power you use while driving, the more fuel you use. If you can reduce the power use to use less fuel and produce fewer emissions, you immediately do a good thing,” he added.
