The 2022 top ten automotive technology trends in China

Editing by Xin Lanhua

The influential China Society of Automotive Engineers (CSAE) recently released the 2022 Report on Automotive Technology Trends in China.

The report offers the energy-saving and new energy vehicle technology roadmap with breakthrough technologies for mass production and increasing applications, according to Hou Fushen, CSAE’s deputy secretary-general.

Trend 1: More automotive-grade computing chips above 100 TOPS will be mass-produced and installed.  These chips with big computing power are the core components of the "brain" of a High Automated Vehicle (HAV). The single-chip computing power may exceed 100 TOPS and will be adopted in various car models in 2022.

With the continuous improvement of automobiles' intelligence and networking, the demand for computing power is increasingly urgent. Autonomous automotive-grade chips have been applied in functions such as ADAS and smart cockpit.

Huawei and Horizon Robotics are currently working on this technology.

Trend 2: Multiple car companies will produce motor controller with third-generation semiconductors. They are the key component for ensuring high efficiency, speed, and density in electric drive systems. Several car manufacturers will adopt them, and the scale is estimated at some 600,000 vehicles in 2022.

Trend 3: Improved safety technology enables installment of 300Wh/kg high specific energy power battery in vehicles. The more powerful battery will increase the cruising range of electric vehicles.

Trend 4: The long-life fuel cell system will be used for commercial vehicles in multiple scenarios. Long life is the basic requirement for fuel cell systems to be used in long-distance and heavy-loading driving. Driven by the fuel cell demonstration policy, fuel cell systems with longer than 10,000 hours lifespan will be used in multiple long-distance and heavy-loading scenarios such as logistics operation, transportation, ports, and mining.

Trend 5: Specific platform-based Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) will exceed 65% of the market share. The BEV-specific platform adopts a "skateboard" design conducive to the integrated design of power battery, car body, and chassis. Domestic brands will widely adopt BEV-specific platforms, with more than 65% market share in passenger cars in 2022.

Trend 6: More domestically produced high-performance BEVs will use 800V voltage platform, improving the efficiency of the whole vehicle and achieving extremely fast charging with high-power charging technology. In 2022, BYD, Changan Auto, Voyah, and GAC Aion are expected to launch high-performance models with an 800V high-voltage platform.

Trend 7: The intelligent thermal management technology greatly enables NEVs to adapt to low temperatures. This technology is key for NEVs to make a breakthrough when they are used in low-temperature environments. It may empower NEVs to use in a minus 30 degrees Celsius environment.

Trend 8: The domain controller will transit from single-domain control to cross-domain integration. As the core carrier for the entire vehicle's intelligence and networking function, the domain controller further reduces the coupling between hardware-software-function and the complexity of the in-vehicle electronic and electrical architecture (connection structure). As a result, the intelligently networked industry chain ecosystem building will be accelerated in 2022.

Trend 9: The vehicle information security protection technology will jump from edge defense to active defense-in-depth system. Critical to personal, social, and national security, this technology is a must for vehicle security protection, with early threat perception, dynamic real-time response, achieving more efficient and safe vehicle protection.

Trend 10: The DHT Hybrid Synergy Drive installation will surge. The DHT hybrid technology can be applied to HEV and PHEV as an important technical option for passenger cars to save fuel and reduce carbon. In 2022, many car companies will apply the DHT hybrid system and sell their hybrid models.  This system's installment is expected to reach 1.5 million sets in 2022.