Whether it is passive survival or active thinking, auto parts companies have opened a transformation breakthrough battle in recent years, and new energy is undoubtedly an important direction. In fact, for some auto parts companies that embarked on the road of new energy transformation earlier, the transformation has begun to bear fruit.
Recently, Shen Junhao, CEO General Assistant & Global New Technology Strategy and Executive Director of Hylanda, revealed in an interview with Gaz Auto that Hylanda new energy vehicle thermal management related products currently have orders at home and abroad, and there are still some potential orders in active negotiations to promote, in addition, hydrogen energy related products have also been ordered abroad, and domestic orders are about to be reached.
Hailida CEO General Assistant & Global New Technology Strategy and Executive Director; Image source: Gaz Automotive
He also said: In the above areas, Hynec is still only a newcomer, but based on our technology, price and quality, Hylanda will become an important mainstream player in the next two years. ”
Obviously, facing the future, Hylanda has set a higher goal for itself. Such a goal is bound to be inseparable from the transformation logic that Hylanda has previously established, the current business progress it has made, and the forward-looking plan for continuous advancement.
Transformation logic: Aim at popular sectors, clarify their own advantages, and improve product architecture
Although many auto parts companies have turned to new energy, the specific fields involved are different. From the actual situation, Hylanda has targeted the thermal management of new energy vehicles and the hydrogen energy sector.
Official information shows that in the field of thermal management of new energy vehicles (including hybrid, pure electric and fuel cell vehicles), Hylanda provides refrigerant side products, such as electronic expansion valves (eXV) and large-diameter flow valves, and also develops coolant-side products, including valve technology and thermal management modules for controlling and distributing coolant; in the hydrogen energy sector, Hylanda provides high-pressure bottle valves, hydrogen inlet switch valves, proportional control valves, exhaust and drain valves and hydrogen supply modules on the hydrogen supply side.
Hylanda provides refrigerant-side and coolant-side products for new energy vehicles; image source: Hylanda
The reason for choosing these two major plates, Hylanda obviously has its own logic.
According to Shen Junhao, as early as 2017, Hylanda saw the trend of automobile electrification, "based on the consideration of oil reserves, energy security and other aspects, the development direction of electrification has been very clear." At the same time, CASE, also known as Connected (connected cars), Autonomous (autonomous driving), Sharing (sharing), Electricity (electrification) concept is hot, Hylanda is also thinking about electrification and autonomous driving which is more suitable for itself, "we think that electrification is closer to us, and autonomous driving is too far away from us." ”
However, Hylanda did not limit its focus to electrification. Shen Junhao said: "The ultimate goal of electrification is to make the world cleaner. Although the concept of carbon neutrality was not proposed at that time, we have seen that the industry is going to go in the direction of carbon reduction. So for us, going from electrification to clean energy is a good path. ”
Of course, this is also in line with the logic of Hylanda's previous products. Before cutting into the above two major sectors, Hylanda mainly engaged in engine and transmission related products, such as variable compression ratio systems, transmission control valves and so on. It is reported that Hylanda is the third largest variable valve timing supplier in terms of global sales, and also the world's first sales of dual-clutch transmission valve suppliers. Whether it is a variable valve timing or a gearbox solenoid valve, it has the "effect" of energy saving and emission reduction. Therefore, Hylanda's new layout can be described as an extension of this logic.
Hylanda internal combustion engine and hybrid plate products; Image source: Hylanda
As for why the segment of thermal management was chosen, the reason is not difficult to understand. The industry knows that thermal management is of outstanding importance to new energy vehicles. For power batteries, thermal management is a necessary means to maintain a suitable temperature range and uniformity, and the appropriate temperature can optimize the safety factor, performance and life of the car. In view of this, coupled with the fact that Hylanda is a company with a very deep foundation in precision valves, this has given rise to a new product line.
According to Shen Junhao, Hylanda has opened up an idea based on the thinking of valves and thermal management, that is, "to do a better job of the cycle related to thermal management", and this cycle is nothing more than two: one is to circulate with coolant, and the other is to use refrigerant to circulate. That's why Hylanda offers refrigerant-side and coolant-side products. Of course, some of Hylanda's deployment in hydrogen energy is also based on the capability of Hylanda valves, combined with the ability of thermal management.
In summary, Hylanda currently has a layout in four directions of pure internal combustion engine, hybrid, pure electric, and hydrogen fuel cell. Shen Junhao said: "Our entire structure is already very complete. ”
He pointed out that Hylanda's existing products, such as variable valve timing and dual-clutch transmission valves, are fully capable of covering the needs of pure internal combustion engines and hybrid vehicles, "in the future in these traditional sectors, what we have to do is to maintain our ability to ensure that we have something to eat to support our smooth transition." ”
Pure electric and hydrogen energy are the transformation direction of Hylanda. "As far as these two major sectors are concerned, our highest purpose is to save energy and reduce emissions, or to approach in the direction of carbon neutrality, of course, it must also be in line with the path of the entire new energy vehicle." In addition to this, we have made it clear that we want to expand from valves to modules. Shen Junhao added.
Preliminary results: the cultivation of advantageous products, the continuous increase in orders, and the steady progress of mass production
For Hailida, the logic of transformation is obviously there, and whether the logic of transformation is right or not depends on the results. At present, the transformation of Hylanda has begun to bear fruit.
On the one hand, Hylanda has "cultivated" core advantage products, such as electronic expansion valves for the thermal management sector of new energy vehicles, valve technology for controlling and distributing coolant, and hydrogen supply modules for hydrogen energy plates.
According to relevant information, the active cooling of the battery through the refrigerant circuit is one of the core elements to achieve rapid charging and exert the best performance of the battery, and the Hyland electronic expansion valve accurately distributes the refrigerant to the battery circuit battery cooler through the refrigerant circuit, which can effectively control the cooling process, and the product can also effectively and accurately control the amount of refrigerant passed through the heat pump and air conditioning system.
Hylanda electronic expansion valve; Image source: Hylanda
Hylanda's valve technology for controlling and distributing coolant enables electric vehicles to respond flexibly to a variety of environmental conditions or operating conditions. Valves deliver liquid precisely where it is needed, such as battery circuits, electric drive circuits, or cockpit heating or cooling. In addition, by integrating multiple valves into the module, a compact and cost-effective solution can be created. The thermal management module (which integrates electronic expansion valves, heat exchangers and water pumps in addition to coolant valves) offers advantages in terms of installation space and performance, as well as significant cost savings for customers.
Hylanda three-way/four-way water valve; Image source: Hylanda
In addition, through the combination of thermal management and valve capabilities, Hylanda has also developed hydrogen energy products with great advantages, including hydrogen supply modules. It is reported that the module integrates the pressure control valve, pressure sensor and hydrogen recirculation into one module, and the two-stage opening ensures the control accuracy of a large flow range, while reducing the number of connections through the module integration, in addition to the characteristics of lightweight.
On the other hand, orders for Hylanda-related products continued to increase, and product development and mass production progress were steadily advancing.
Taking the electronic expansion valve as an example, according to Shen Junhao, the current Hailida electronic expansion valve has been mass-produced, "We now have orders at home and abroad, and some very famous OEMs are very interested in our products, and now the business progress is also good." ”
According to its introduction, Hylanda is also preparing a second-generation product - a large-caliber electronic expansion valve to further expand orders in this field. "The reason for doing large-diameter electronic expansion valves is mainly to consider that in the entire heat pump system, we can replace an electronic expansion valve and a globe valve, which can make the heat pump more efficient, better sealing, and longer life."
In addition, it is understood that in terms of refrigerant, in addition to doing R134A and R1234YF electronic expansion valves, Hylanda also hopes to further expand to R744, and the relevant samples have come out, and mass production is also expected in the near future.
In terms of water valves, Hylanda currently has disc valves with very low leakage and some ball valves for single actuators. According to Shen Junhao, whether it is a disc water valve or a ball valve, Hylanda will be introduced to the market as much as possible within two years.
He also mentioned that in the short and medium term, Hylanda hopes to further participate in the new energy vehicle market through refrigerant and water-cooled components, and by 2024 or 2025, Hylanda hopes to integrate these products to form a thermal management module and bring them to the market.
Hylanda modular thermal management products; Image source: Hylanda
Of course, Hylanda is also continuing to promote the layout of the hydrogen energy plate. Gaz Auto understands that from high pressure, medium pressure to low pressure, from globe valve to anode valve, these are within the scope of Hylanda's consideration, and are currently in the process of advancement.
Future planning: multi-dimensional force, stay, become a mainstream participant
Through the above content, it can be seen that after achieving initial results, Hylanda is already accumulating strength for subsequent development. In addition to the power of the product dimension, Hylanda is still making long-handed preparations.
An obvious phenomenon in the industry in the past two years is that in order to win the Chinese new energy vehicle market, foreign companies have begun to set up design centers, technology development centers in China, and even place global research and development centers in China. Shen Junhao believes that this is a very correct state of affairs, "I believe that everyone has the same idea, and it is very promising to do this thing in China." ”
Obviously, Hylanda also sees China as an important arena in the field of new energy. It is reported that at the beginning of 2021, Hylanda set up a new energy division in China, and according to its plan, this business unit will soon reach the scale of nearly 100 people. Not only that, Hylanda is also equipped with related hardware, testing, manufacturing, production lines and so on in China. This shows Hylanda's determination to develop.
In an interview with Gaz Auto, Shen Junhao also mentioned that the importance of software is rapidly increasing, "For example, now there is a trend of decoupling software and hardware, taking autosar as an example, the application layer and the underlying layer are separated, different modules are independent of each other, how do we perfectly cooperate with this, how to do plug and play, how to achieve higher standards in communication protocols and interfaces, these need a very good software team." ”
As a result, Hylanda is accelerating the improvement of software capabilities. "In terms of hardware, we already have a strong foundation, and in terms of software, we currently have some foundation, but we think it is not enough, we want to strengthen the capabilities of software. We now have a very solid software team in Europe and China, and we want to build our software team to international standards. ”
Hailida's multi-dimensional strength also reflects the fierce competition in new fields. Shen Junhao admitted that in the new field that Hailida has stepped into, the competition is more fierce, but Hailida has the confidence to stay. "From the perspective of downstream car companies, there should be a big wash in the next two years, and then only those who are stronger can stay." We believe that Hylanda is fully capable of facing those relatively high-quality customers who stay. ”
"Although we are a German company, the efficiency of our entire company, especially the Chinese team, is very high, our structure is very flat and flexible, and we can do this very quickly." I believe that compared with some pure foreign companies, we have some advantages in institutional structure, and compared with some private companies, we have some unique features in the control of technology or processes. The combination of these two capabilities can enhance our competitiveness. Shen Junhao added.
On the whole, on the road of new energy transformation, Hylanda is making solid progress and seeking a magnificent turnaround. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, Hynec aims to become a mainstream player in the new field in the next two years. As for whether its subsequent performance can be as expected, we will wait and see!