Valeo, a major global player in the future of mobility
From September 7-12, 2021, Valeo took part in the IAA Mobility Show held in Munich, Germany. More than a trade show, IAA Mobility is a glimpse into the future of personal transportation. It’s an event on the future of travel, a forum of experts around electric mobility and more broadly on climate change and the best solutions to achieve carbon neutrality. It brings out the latest in transportation technology ranging from drones to electric bikes, motorbikes and cars.
The innovations presented demonstrated that Valeo has become a leading global mobility player. Its broad array of smart technology solutions are designed to equip all forms of mobility, not just cars. Valeo is now the technological leader in three key, rapidly developing sectors: vehicle electrification, advanced driving assistance systems and cabin air treatment.
Valeo and the acceleration of vehicle electrification
A broad offer from low to high-voltage systems
Valeo has become a system-oriented manufacturer in vehicle electrification. At the IAA Mobility 2021 event, the Group exhibited a comprehensive portfolio of smart, efficient technologies that allow cars to travel far, fast and for a long time, at affordable cost and with optimised comfort, without emitting a single gram of CO2 (in the case of an all-electric vehicle). From 48V motors for small urban vehicles to greater than 60V solutions, Valeo is a world leader in low and high-voltage systems for electric vehicles.
At the show, Valeo exhibited an electric innovation for small sedans designed by the Valeo-Siemens eAutomotive joint venture which consists of a comprehensive all-electric powertrain system of 100 kW, including the electric motor, the inverter and the reducer. By end-2022, 90 new cars featuring Valeo-Siemens eAutomotive joint venture high-voltage technologies will be on the market worldwide.
Charging stations: a “must” for the development of electric vehicles
To encourage the wider use of electric cars, Valeo has developed an innovative range of charging stations. Valeo unveiled its first comprehensive charging solution, which includes equipment, technical support and associated services. Valeo’s charging stations are suitable for all types of electric vehicles; they are designed for both electric and plug-in passenger cars as well as light commercial vehicles. They can be used, regardless of vehicle voltage, for charging at home, at work and in semi-public charging stations, thereby covering at least 80% of all uses while offering intelligent energy management features. The first charging stations are set to be launched in 2022.
eBike: Valeo makes its entry in new urban mobility systems
Valeo's expertise is not just about cars, it also lies in the electrification of all new urban mobility systems: bikes, scooters, delivery droids, etc. which were also demonstrated at IAA Mobility as well as in the streets of Munich.
One week before the trade show, Valeo’s Smart e-Bike System had already made its debut at Eurobike, the leading global trade show for the bike business held in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
Valeo showcased the most high-performance electric assistance system for bikes to date with three prototypes featuring its technology: a city bike, a mountain bike and a three-wheeled cargo bike for transporting loads. Previously unavailable on the market, the Valeo technology developed in partnership with France‑based Effigear comprises a 48V electric motor and a seven-speed automatic, adaptive gearbox in a single unit which is located in the pedal assembly. With a torque of 130 Newton meters, this unit provides the best electric assistance for bikes to date.
Thanks to Valeo, electric bikes can now benefit from the same advantages as cars in terms of adaptive automatic gearboxes. This great innovation received second place at the IAA 2021 Best of Mobility Awards.
Valeo and the acceleration of driving assistance systems
Like electrification, the market for ADAS, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, is accelerating rapidly and is expected to triple in size by 2030. Valeo is also the world leader in this field, with one in four new cars currently equipped with its technologies.
At the Munich event, visitors were able to try out Level 3 automation and see how Valeo’s human-machine interface systems make the transition between autonomous driving and manual driving as safe, smooth and intuitive as possible. Going further, Valeo also unveiled Valeo Drive4U, a prototype autonomous car equipped with Valeo sensors (LiDARs, cameras, radars, ultrasound, etc.) which was also seen driving in automated mode both on the open road in and outside the city of Munich.
Finally, Valeo also presented its Automated Valet Parking, an autonomous parking system developed in collaboration with BMW, that allows a car to park all by itself in a parking lot. So what’s new about this system? It relies in part on Valeo systems that are installed not only on the vehicle, but also in the infrastructure of the parking lot itself. This capability further demonstrates Valeo’s position as a technology provider for the entire ecosystem, both inside and outside the car.
Beyond mobility: automotive technologies to support Covid diagnosis
Valeo’s technologies in the field of health protection are so efficient that they now even go beyond vehicles. Building on its automotive sensors and cameras, Valeo has developed a health diagnostic system for detecting vital signs which can evaluate a patient’s health risks and, in particular, assess whether they are likely to have Covid or not. This equipment was validated with the help of several health organisations and was also on display at the IAA Mobility Show.
