Smart and Sustainable Electric Mobility
Lens Technology has long supplied lenses and related glass components to Apple and is also a core supplier to Tesla.
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Innovusion and Fuyao have begun joint research that has resulted in LiDAR integration behind the front windshield with less than 10 percent attenuation of detection performance.
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The roof LiDAR setup has been complained by some to affect the aesthetics of the vehicle design. Now, local Chinese LiDAR manufacturers are working to put the component inside the vehicle.
NIO's LiDAR supplier Innovusion has partnered with local auto glass giant Fuyao Group to create LiDARs that can be mounted behind the front windshield, according to a press release yesterday.
There are currently two main mounting options for LiDAR, mounting it on top of the car like NIO's models, or placing the part next to the headlights as XPeng does.
Mounting LiDAR behind the front windshield, which does not affect the vehicle's exterior design and makes LiDAR less susceptible to the external environment, becomes one of the best options, Innovusion said.
However, the solution faces a number of technical challenges, including detection signal attenuation, noise from the LiDAR motor, and heat dissipation problems.
(Image credit: Innovusion)
Through its innovation, Fuyao has been able to optimize the LiDAR's waveband transmittance, Innovusion said.
The initial collaboration between the two will be based on Innovusion's Robin-E, which has dimensions of 117 mm * 100 mm * 44 mm, a total weight of about 450 grams, less than 9 W of power consumption and less than 20 dB(A) of noise.
The two companies have started joint research and development and have already achieved LiDAR integration with the camera behind the front windshield, with detection performance attenuation of less than 10 percent, Innovusion said.
Founded in 2016, Innovusion has R&D centers in Silicon Valley, Suzhou and Shanghai, and LiDAR manufacturing sites in Ningbo and Suzhou.
On March 28, 2022, NIO delivered the first ET7 vehicles, marking the mass production of Innovusion's Falcon LiDAR product. ET7 and other newer NIO models are equipped with Innovusion's image-grade, ultra-long-range LiDAR Falcon.
Prior to Innovusion, Hesai (NASDAQ: HSAI) announced on April 14 a new LiDAR called the ET25, which it says is an in-cockpit LiDAR designed to be placed behind the front windshield.
The ET25 is an ultra-thin, long-range LiDAR, with the "ET" standing for Extremely Thin and the "25" referring to its height of just 25 mm.
Hesai unveils ultra-thin LiDAR ET25 that can be placed behind windshield
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Wencan aims to supply products from near NIO's plants by 2025, and the two companies will work together to arrange capacity expansion plans. | NIO US | NIO HK | NIO SG
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NIO (NYSE: NIO) has entered into a strategic partnership with yet another auto parts giant that will provide supply support near its plants.
One-piece die-casting parts supplier Wencan Group signed a five-year strategic cooperation framework agreement with NIO on March 26, according to an exchange announcement today from the Shanghai-listed company.
The two companies will collaborate on supply, low carbon, digitalization and globalization to achieve supply support around NIO's Hefei plants, according to the announcement.
Wencan and NIO will also collaborate in depth on lightweight research and development of integrated die-casting structural parts for the body and new material applications.
The two will also explore all-round cooperation in products including integrated battery boxes, core electric vehicle components and automotive chassis, according to the announcement.
Wencan aims to supply products near the NIO plants by 2025, and the two companies will work together to arrange capacity expansion plans, including investing in new production lines, or building new production sites, to ensure smooth production and delivery of NIO projects, the announcement said.
Wencan will also use its global presence to provide full support to NIO's international business and to provide full support to the electric vehicle company's global R&D and product validation, according to the announcement.
NIO will promote Wencan's casting business to its partners and will explore cooperation in other business areas, the announcement said.
The two will also cooperate deeply on business car purchases and employee car purchases.
Wencan is one of China's best-known suppliers of integrated die-casting parts and a core supplier of structural body parts to NIO, according to the team led by Cui Yan, an analyst at local brokerage firm Huaxi Securities.
Wencan's parts are used in NIO's entire lineup of models, and the average value of its parts used per NIO vehicle is more than RMB 3,000, Cui's team said in a March 17 research note.
Most automakers won't adopt Tesla's model of using one-piece die-casting machines on their own because it requires a large investment and the scale effect is less than that of third-party suppliers, the team said.
On October 26, 2022, Wencan announced plans to raise up to RMB 3.5 billion through a private placement, of which RMB 1 billion will be used to build a parts manufacturing project in Anhui province.
Wencan plans to build a plant in Lu'an, Anhui province, which will help better serve customers including NIO and BYD, Cui's team said.
The new agreement with Wencan is the second NIO has signed with the parts giant so far this month.
On March 16, Tesla's parts supplier Ningbo Tuopu Group announced that it had signed an agreement with NIO to establish a strategic partnership for the development, manufacture and supply of NEV parts and components.
One of the goals of the partnership between the two is for Ningbo Tuopu to provide parts supply near NIO's factories in Hefei, according to the announcement.
Tesla parts supplier Ningbo Tuopu signs cooperation deal with NIO
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Ningbo Tuopu said its strategic partnership with NIO uses an innovative T0.5 collaboration model that will provide the latter with better products and services.
NIO US | NIO HK | NIO SG
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Ningbo Tuopu Group, a Tesla parts supplier, has signed an agreement with NIO (NYSE: NIO) in which the two companies will adopt an innovative partnership model not commonly seen in the automotive industry.
Ningbo Tuopu and NIO signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement on March 16 to establish a strategic partnership for the development, manufacture and supply of new energy vehicle components, according to an exchange announcement today from the Shanghai-listed company.
One of the goals of the partnership is for Ningbo Tuopu to supply parts near NIO's plants in Hefei, according to the announcement.
The companies will also collaborate on the use of low-carbon materials, supply chain emissions reduction, digital supply chain and global business exploration.
For the current phase, Ningbo Tuopu will collaborate strategically with NIO on products including chassis systems, body lightweight, thermal management systems, interior and exterior systems and NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) damping systems.
The two companies will also explore all-round cooperation in the areas of intelligent cabin components, air suspension systems and intelligent driving systems, the announcement said.
The teams of both parties will establish regular communication mechanisms and provide adequate resource support to ensure the implementation of the strategic cooperation, according to the announcement.
Notably, Ningbo Tuopu said its strategic partnership with NIO is based on an innovative T0.5 supply chain cooperation model, which will provide the customer products and services with better QSTP (Quality, Service, Technology, Price).
Ningbo Tuopu did not explain more about the T0.5 partnership model, but it is a new model it has been working on for the past few years.
In the automotive industry, the typical relationship between parts suppliers and automakers is T1 (Tier 1), a supplier that signs a supply contract directly with the car company, and T2 (Tier 2), which has a contract with a T1 supplier.
In the T0.5 model implemented by Ningbo Tuopu, automakers are more involved in the development of components, thus shortening the development cycle and ensuring quality.
Ningbo Tuopu was founded in 1983 and is one of the largest parts suppliers in China. The company last came to the attention of the general public in China because of a recall of the Tesla Model Y.
In December 2021, Tesla announced a recall of 21,599 China-made Model Y electric vehicles because of the risk of warping or breaking the vehicle's steering knuckle, which was supplied by Ningbo Tuopu.
Following the announcement of the Tesla Model Y recall, Ningbo Tuopu's shares traded in Shanghai were at one point severely sold off.
The parts maker later issued a statement saying that the products involved in the recall were only for the Model Y and not for other Tesla models or other customers' models.
The company estimated that the recall was not material and would not have an impact on its annual operating results or on its business based on the number of recalls and defect ratios, it said in the statement at the time.
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