Electronics account for 40% of the price of cars
Twenty years ago only 25% of cars had front airbags, less than 20% was equipped with devices of stability control, side airbags, tire pressure monitoring system, parking sensors and blind spot warning system. Not to mention the electronic emission control devices and some equipment for connectivity and navigationwhich was barely heard of.
Since then technology and security have grown and in 2017 some of these features were on 80% of the cars on sale. But it is for just over five years there has been a real technological leap with the arrival, also on various mid-range models, of automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, start & stop, anti-sleep systems, optimization of consumption, up to the most advanced semi-autonomous driving and more generally the evolution of hybrid and electric motors. A revolution that has not only concerned safety but also comfort and connectivity.
Expensive evolution
But how much does this “load” of electronics weigh on the final cost of a car? Meanwhile, a premise: i car prices in Italy they have almost doubled in just 10 years. He claims it Absolute userswho carried out a study comparing the price lists applied by the major car manufacturers. In 2013, an average of 18,000 euros was spent to buy a new car, a figure that has now risen to 26,000 euros with an increase of +44.4%.
Well a search for Deloitte show how much it was it is precisely the ever-increasing weight of electronics that has caused the price lists to rise. If in the Two-thousand the weight of the electronic components was 18% on the final price, only 10 years later did it arrive al 27%to climb further to 40% in 2020. The consulting firm estimates that by 2030 the cost of a car will consist of a 55% relating to pure and simple mechanical parts (bodywork, engine, other mechanical parts, etc.) and un 45% from “electronic baggage”.
But why are electronics so salty?
The recent shortage of microchips, due to the shortage of supply, has dramatically highlighted the importance of electronics Having said that Deloitte estimates that 40% of a vehicle’s development budgetfrom design through manufacturing, can be attributed to systems integration, testing, verification and validation. Keep track of all current electronics and software in every model produced and sold it is an extremely onerous task. Another big problem comes from the connect and power all the control units, sensors and other electronic devices of the cars. A job that requires a large amount of cables and considerable manual effort to position everything correctly. In fact a car’s mains cabling can involve thousands of components and cables up to three miles long. It is no coincidence that reducing the weight and complexity of wiring harnesses has become one of the main objectives of car manufacturers.
But another big problem is then that of effectively test all software and the combinations of electronic instruments on board. And given the huge number of possible setups, it’s not easy to check and try everything. Above all with the evolution of the electric car, car manufacturers and suppliers are putting in place increasingly close collaborations up to the creation of ad hoc companies. In recent years, with the advent of mobile apps and cloud-based services moreover, the possibilities have increased risks of cyber attack. Governments, precisely to prevent a hacker from jeopardizing the safety of passengers and pedestrians, are introducing increasingly stringent (and costly) obligations regarding cyber security. Obligations which obviously fall on the car manufacturers and therefore on the consumers.
The car of the future
According to a report by Goldman Sachs the keys to the development of the automotive industry will be electronics combined with technology. The factors that will drive the change will be precise: the car of the future, not necessarily electric, will in any case have to have low CO2 emissions, as younger consumers are already demanding. And safer, also due to the aging of the population (and therefore also of motorists). A smarter car and more functionalcon high efficiency motors e lighter materials. And, thanks to the 5G, which allows the car to communicate in real time with the surrounding environment, will have advanced autonomous driving systems. According to Goldman Sachs the car of tomorrow will also have to have affordable prices. Given the evolution outlined by Deloitte, the latter undertaking is certainly not an easy one.