The automotive industry is undergoing an in-depth transformation centered on electrification, intelligence, connectivity, and lightweighting. As the “nervous system” of the entire vehicle, automotive wiring harnesses have long broken away from the single attribute of traditional low-voltage wire connections and become key core components adapted to high-voltage transmission of new energy vehicles, data interaction for intelligent driving, and integrated vehicle design. From low-voltage wiring harnesses in fuel vehicles to high-voltage ones in new energy vehicles, from distributed wiring to domain-controlled integration, and from simple physical connections to intelligent data transmission, the technological iteration and industrial upgrading of automotive wiring harnesses have become an important support for the high-end development of the automotive industry. Against the backdrop of the continuous increase in the penetration rate of new energy vehicles and the rapid implementation of L2+ and above intelligent driving, the automotive wiring harness industry is ushering in an all-round transformation. High-voltage, high-speed, integration, and digitalization have become the core development directions of the industry, and the competitive pattern of the industrial chain has been reconstructed accordingly. Enterprises with technological R&D, large-scale production, and ecological collaboration capabilities will embrace new development opportunities.
I. Under the Wave of Electrification, High-Voltage Wiring Harnesses Become a Core Incremental Track
The popularization of new energy vehicles has directly driven the automotive wiring harness industry from the “low-voltage era” to the “high-voltage era”. High-voltage wiring harnesses serve as the connection link for the three core components of new energy vehicles: power batteries, motors, and electronic control systems, and are also key supporting parts for high-voltage auxiliary components such as charging systems and air conditioning systems. Their market demand is growing rapidly in sync with the production and sales volume of new energy vehicles. Compared with traditional low-voltage wiring harnesses, high-voltage ones need to meet the transmission requirements of high voltage (600V and above) and large current, posing stringent standards for temperature and voltage resistance, insulation and shielding, and anti-aging performance, and also driving the comprehensive upgrading of industry technologies and materials.
Currently, the 800V high-voltage platform has become a core layout direction for new energy vehicle enterprises. The implementation of high-voltage fast charging technology has further forced the technological iteration of high-voltage wiring harnesses, which not only require the harnesses to adapt to higher voltage levels and power density, but also achieve breakthroughs in lightweighting and space utilization. High-end insulating materials with high temperature and high voltage resistance such as silicone rubber and cross-linked polyethylene have become the mainstream choices for high-voltage wiring harnesses. The design of the shielding layer has also upgraded from traditional braided shielding to aluminum foil + braided double-layer shielding, effectively reducing the impact of electromagnetic interference on the vehicle’s electronic system. At the same time, the integrated design trend of high-voltage wiring harnesses is evident. Integrated solutions of harnesses with cooling pipelines and harnesses with connectors are continuously being implemented, which not only reduce the vehicle wiring space, but also lower assembly processes and costs, becoming a core grasp for enterprises to reduce costs and increase efficiency. From the perspective of the market pattern, high-voltage wiring harnesses have become a core incremental track in the automotive wiring harness industry, accounting for more than 60% of the cost of new energy vehicle wiring harnesses, and becoming a must-compete field for leading wiring harness enterprises.
II. The Upgrading of Intelligence and Connectivity Spawning New Demands for High-Speed and High-Frequency Wiring Harnesses
If high-voltage wiring harnesses support the “power transmission” of new energy vehicles, then high-speed and high-frequency wiring harnesses undertake the “data interaction” of intelligent vehicles. With the rapid implementation of L2+ and above intelligent driving, the upgrading of in-vehicle entertainment systems, and the development of 5G-V2X vehicle-road coordination technology, the vehicle’s requirements for high-speed, high-frequency, low-latency, and high-reliability data transmission continue to increase. Traditional low-speed wiring harnesses can no longer meet the demand, and the penetration rate of high-speed wiring harnesses such as Ethernet harnesses, FAKRA harnesses, HSD harnesses, and LVDS harnesses is rising rapidly.
At the same time, the automotive electronic and electrical architecture is transforming from distributed to domain controllers and central computing platforms, and this change has directly driven the reconstruction of wiring harness layout: from the past “multi-node, decentralized” wiring mode to “centralized, modular” mode. By designing the wiring harnesses of similar functions in an integrated way, the number and volume of vehicle wiring harnesses are greatly reduced, and wiring efficiency is improved. For example, the wiring harness of the intelligent driving domain needs to integrate the transmission requirements of sensors such as lidar, cameras, and millimeter-wave radars, requiring high-speed wiring harnesses to have the performance of anti-electromagnetic radiation and anti-vibration, while adapting to the miniaturized and integrated layout of sensors. In addition, the in-depth development of the Internet of Vehicles has made cars a mobile “intelligent terminal”. In-vehicle wiring harnesses not only need to meet the data interaction inside the vehicle, but also realize communication compatibility with external base stations, charging piles, and other vehicles. Anti-interference and high stability have become the core points in the design of high-speed wiring harnesses. The development of high-speed wiring harnesses has not only promoted the technological upgrading of the harnesses themselves, but also facilitated the collaborative adaptation of wiring harnesses with in-vehicle chips, sensors, and communication modules, becoming an important foundation for the development of intelligent vehicles.
III. Lightweighting and Integration as the Core Direction for Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement in the Industry
Vehicle lightweighting is an important path for the automotive industry to achieve energy conservation and consumption reduction and improve cruising range. This demand has been fully transmitted to the automotive wiring harness industry, and lightweighting and integration have become the core directions for wiring harness enterprises to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and enhance market competitiveness, running through the entire process of material selection, product design, and production and manufacturing.
In terms of material lightweighting, the replacement of copper wires with aluminum wires has become an important trend in medium and low-voltage scenarios. On the premise of ensuring electrical conductivity, aluminum wires are about 50% lighter than copper wires and have lower raw material costs. At present, they have been widely used in medium and low-voltage fields such as body wiring harnesses and chassis wiring harnesses of new energy vehicles. At the same time, the application of thin-wall wires and miniaturized connectors is accelerating. The thickness of the insulation layer of thin-wall wires is further reduced, reducing the volume of wiring harnesses on the premise of not reducing performance. Miniaturized connectors adapt to the integrated layout of vehicle electronic components and improve space utilization. In terms of product integration, integrated components of “wiring harness + connector + sensor + functional module” have become the mainstream. For example, integrating wiring harnesses with door control modules and seat adjustment modules not only reduces the processes and time of vehicle assembly, but also lowers the failure rate of wiring harness connections. In addition, wiring harness enterprises conduct in-depth collaboration with vehicle enterprises to carry out customized wiring optimization combined with the design of vehicle chassis, body, and battery packs. By shortening wire length and optimizing wiring paths, the volume and weight of wiring harness assemblies are reduced dualistically, adapting to the vehicle layout demand after the battery pack of new energy vehicles occupies a lot of space. The integration of lightweighting and integration not only meets the core needs of vehicle enterprises, but also drives the automotive wiring harness industry to transform from “single product supply” to “customized solution supply”.
