Connectors are the connection bridges between electronic components. Its technological innovation direction and manufacturing standards must adapt to the development of downstream industries. When the downstream market puts forward refined requirements, the standard of the connector will increase accordingly. When the scale of the downstream market changes, its demand for connectors will also increase or decrease.
It can be said that any disturbance in the downstream market will directly affect the direction of the connector industry.
01
When the rapid rise of new energy vehicles, the traditional automotive connector industry has undoubtedly received a brand new test paper.
In the field of new energy automobile industry, connectors are extremely important components. Different from the traditional car connector, the new energy car connector is used both in the whole vehicle and in the charging system. This has increased the demand for high-voltage connectors and high-voltage wiring harnesses.
High voltage connector:
The working current and voltage of the new energy automobile connector are higher than the traditional automobile connector. Traditional automotive connectors are low-voltage connectors with a voltage of about 14V. The new energy vehicle connector is a high-voltage connector with a voltage of 400-600V and a larger current.
High voltage wiring harness:
In new energy vehicles, especially pure electric vehicles, in addition to the 12V circuit system, there is also a circuit system with a voltage exceeding 300V, which is mainly used for the power drive system. In this system, high-voltage wiring harnesses are required to connect the units in each circuit. High-voltage connectors and wiring harnesses have high-voltage, high-speed, high-reliability and other excellent performance, and have high technical barriers.
In addition to electrical performance, the environmental performance requirements of new energy vehicle connectors have also increased. Because the connector is generally used at the intersection of two electronic components, the impact and friction received will be much greater than other parts. Secondly, the connector also plays an important role in protecting the core components from external dust, temperature, and radiation interference.
In order to meet the needs of downstream industries, today's new energy vehicle connector threshold is much higher than in the past, and all connector manufacturers are facing the test of research and development capabilities.
02
At the same time, sales of new energy vehicles in the Chinese market have not been smooth sailing.
Since July 2019, sales of new energy vehicles have continued to decline. In the end, the sales of new energy vehicles in the Chinese market fell by 4% year-on-year in 2019, ending the continuous high-speed growth over the previous years.
In 2020, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in March were 50,000 and 53,000, respectively, down 56.9% and 53.2% year-on-year. In the first quarter, the production and sales of new energy vehicles were only 105,000 and 114,000, a year-on-year decrease of 60.2% and 56.4% respectively.
Fortunately, the production and sales of automobiles in the third quarter of 2020 were 2.552 million and 2.573 million respectively, an increase of 0.9% and 0.1% month-on-month and an increase of 11.0% and 12.5% year-on-year.
The volatility of new energy vehicle sales is determined by many factors. Among them, the continuous implementation of the subsidy policy and the reduction of the impact of the epidemic are the keys to the rebound in sales. But in the final analysis, the fluctuations are due to the quality of the new energy vehicle products. Such as battery safety and stability, battery life issues, charging infrastructure issues, etc. All have led to new energy vehicles falling behind in the quality competition with fuel vehicles.
When fuel prices fall and subsidy policies change, sales of new energy vehicles will inevitably continue to fluctuate.
03
However, we cannot one-sidedly believe that fluctuations in sales trends are frustrating the development of auto companies, and China is still a fertile ground for new energy vehicles. On the contrary, this should be a screening of the strength of major new energy car companies. Only by slowing down appropriately can we better see the market dynamics.
For connector manufacturers, instead of paying too much attention to short-lived market trends, it is better to settle down and insist on technology research and development to seize the window of development. If you choose to reduce R&D because of a temporary failure, it is not necessarily a good thing for the long-term development of the company.
