Valeo and Leoni synergize their strengths to bring the best in class solution for zone controllers, key elements of future vehicles. Valeo and Leoni see a big interest in the market for zone controllers and are already in close exchange with several European OEMs. With the combined expertise the two cooperation partners are ready for RFQ (request for quote).
Vehicle architecture is set to evolve significantly in the coming years to meet the demands of vehicles that become more autonomous, connected and electric, increasingly equipped with ADAS, sensors, connectivity, electronics and software. These vehicles will communicate more and more with each other and with the infrastructure.
Zone controllers will be the nerve centres of these new vehicle architectures, real hubs of connectivity, data relay and consolidation, centralization of electronic controls and intelligent power management.
By combining their respective expertise today, Valeo, acting as Tier 1, and Leoni, acting as Tier 2, is aiming for a leading position in the field of zone controllers, with cutting-edge, easy-to-integrate technology that will meet the challenges of future generations of vehicles.
‘Through this cooperation, Leoni and Valeo have all the assets to become the world leader in the field of zone controllers, one of the major technological challenges of tomorrow’s vehicles,’ said Marc Vrecko, President, Valeo Comfort & Driving Assistance Systems Business Group.
Valeo and Leoni’s solution, for which pre-development has already begun, will enable more intelligence, more functionality and more power capacity to be embedded in the vehicle while reducing overall complexity, the amount of wiring required, and therefore weight and cost. The technology developed by Valeo and Leoni will also optimize power distribution and provide a safe power supply for e.g. automated driving.
Valeo, the world leader in driver assistance systems, has unique know-how in sensors, with the most comprehensive portfolio on the market, and in electronic control units and associated software, with more than 6,000 engineers specializing in software. Valeo will contribute its expertise in systems engineering, software development and validation systems. A dedicated organization has been set within Valeo to drive zone controllers business considered as strategic.
Leoni, as a leading supplier of wiring systems, has a holistic view of vehicles electric architecture to master the power distribution. The deep knowledge of development, optimization and manufacturing of wiring systems and power distribution components allows creating advanced solutions. Adding intelligent solutions enables a safe and reliable power supply, which modern cars architectures rely on to provide advanced driving and safety functionality. With the development of intelligent power distribution solutions, Leoni will provide innovative power electronics to the zone controller/
‘Zonal Architecture will play a key role in the future electrical vehicle architecture and are strongly linked to the core products of Leoni. The strong competencies from Valeo and Leoni, on each of their areas, have a perfect match and will enable us to take a leading role in the market for Zone Controllers’ is Walter Glück, Chief Technology Officer Leoni Wiring Systems Division, convinced.
Source: Valeo
