End products intended for use in harsh applications are often potted or overmolded to make them impact-resistant and/or waterproof. Although beneficial for the end consumer, this final encapsulation process can negatively affect the electrical and mechanical integrity of the product’s connections.    With so many connector options available, it can be difficult to filter throughRead More

Recent approval of the IEEE 802.3bp standard offers efficiencies for reducing the weight and cost of interconnections to support communication among an ever-growing roster of automotive subsystems. While advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and infotainment systems have been touted to automotive consumers for quite some time, automotive electronic engineers have been saddled with adapting olderRead More

The US DOT is investing heavily in projects like the South Carolina Connected Vehicle Testbed to realize projections of dramatic safety increases that come with a connected infrastructure combined with autonomous car technology.   In 2015, the National Science Foundation (NSF) noted that by the end of the decade, it is likely that the USRead More

The FIA Formula E Series has attracted connector companies as sponsors and highlights the role of electronics in the future of auto racing. Along with the rest of the car industry, motorsport has taken a turn for the green and the high tech. The FIA Formula E Series is the first to feature exclusively electricRead More

Racing engineers always request solutions that bend the laws of physics, but that’s what makes working in the industry such a challenge. By its very nature, autosport is not an industry that stands still; just when you think you know what’s happening, a new technology appears and it all moves forward again. Autosport has broughtRead More

Vehicles talk to each other to improve efficiency and safety.   It’s now possible for vehicles to communicate with each other – and not by drivers rolling down their windows to shout at each other. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications systems can improve the safety, efficiency, and productivity of a wide range of commercial vehicles. Multiple SystemsRead More

In the coming decades the choice of land-vehicle powertrain will mainly be dictated by emissions conformance in addition to the best cost/performance compromise. This will result in a move to pure electric vehicles as laws tighten and technology improves.   The main powertrain options for land vehicles over the next 20 years, according to aRead More

Finding the right connector for LED lighting systems continues to be a challenge for designers. Connectors for automotive applications deliver the necessary functionality and guarantee the highest level of reliability in active and passive safety and driver assistance systems due to extra security features.   The automotive market demands advanced components and systems that enable significantRead More

As autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems become mainstream, LiDAR sensors become smaller, cheaper, and consumer-friendly. Will this impact automotive connector design?   Light Detection and Ranging, or LiDAR, is a core source of data for driverless car systems like that being developed by Google, and the huge, expensive, mechanical LiDAR units used onRead More

Since the modern automobile was invented, its basic functionality and shape has remained essentially the same. However, the environment in which vehicles operate and the data to which they connect are changing dramatically, and components will play a significant role in the automotive revolution.   The connected car has the power to shake up theRead More

Although there are dozens of standard, off-the-shelf automotive connectors deployed in each new vehicle, the recent integration of evolved electronics in automotive designs has resulted in a rapidly growing population of custom connectors that make complex electric systems communicate effectively.   What we once thought was leading-edge technology is now common in our everyday lives. TakeRead More

The latest numbers show that automotive unit volume increased 1% in 2015, and TE tops the list of connector suppliers to the market. The worldwide demand for connectors in the automotive market was $11.8 billion in 2015, down 4% from 2014. North America and Europe consumed 62% of those connectors by dollar volume. Vehicle productionRead More