The popularization of new energy vehicles (NEVs) has not only changed the power system but also completely reshaped the automotive wiring harness industry. As the "nervous system and blood vessels" of a car, wiring harnesses are responsible for both power transmission and signal connection. Market research data shows that in 2023, the size of China's automotive wiring harness market reached 107.03 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth rate of 31.39%, demonstrating a rapid growth trend.
High-voltage wiring harnesses, as essential components of NEVs, directly benefit from the continuous deepening of electrification. The power system voltage of NEVs can reach up to 600V, imposing higher requirements on the pressure resistance, layout, safety, EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility), sealing, and manufacturing of wiring harnesses.
Industry forecasts indicate that by 2025, the global high-voltage wiring harness market will reach 18 billion US dollars, with China accounting for 45% of the global market.
02The Three Main Axes of the Technological Revolution: High Voltage, Lightweight, and Intelligence
High Voltage and High-Frequency Transmission Technology
The popularization of 800V platforms is driving a leap in the performance of high-voltage wiring, with voltage ratings increasing from 600V to over 1500V. To support currents above 400A, the cross-sectional area of conductors has increased from 35mm² to 70mm², and connector plating has shifted from gold to silver-nickel alloys to reduce resistance. In terms of signal transmission, L3+ autonomous driving is prompting the adoption of automotive
Ethernet Cables (with 10Gbps bandwidth), replacing traditional CAN buses. After adopting an Ethernet backbone, Li Auto's L9 saw a 40% reduction in wiring length and a 60% decrease in latency.
Breakthroughs in Lightweight Materials and Processes
"Aluminum instead of copper" has become a significant industry trend, with aluminum wires offering 97% of the conductivity of copper while being 30% lighter and 40% less expensive. Nanocoating technology addresses the issue of aluminum oxidation, and it is projected that by 2025, the application ratio of aluminum wires will reach 22%. In terms of structural optimization, carbon fiber composite sheaths and thin-wall insulation technology (with a wall thickness of 0.1mm) can reduce the weight of wiring harnesses by 60%, thereby increasing vehicle range by 5-10%. Flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs) are also becoming a crucial path for lightweight design, with their polyimide film base material being only 0.34mm thick, capable of replacing over 90% of traditional wiring.
Intelligent Manufacturing and Modular Design
AI quality inspection combined with machine vision has reduced defect rates from 0.5% to 0.1%, and by 2025, the automation rate in domestic factories is expected to reach 75%, reducing labor costs by 40%. The modular revolution is also accelerating, with BYD's e-platform 3.0 reducing the number of connector types from 120 to 30, improving assembly efficiency by 25%. Tesla's Cybertruck features a total wire length of just 100 meters, a 77% reduction compared to traditional models.
03 Restructuring of the Competitive Landscape: Accelerated Domestic Substitution Breaks Foreign Monopoly
The global automotive wiring harness market is characterized by an oligopolistic competition, with the top three companies (Yazaki, Sumitomo, and Aptiv) collectively holding over 60% of the global market share. In 2021, the CR3 (Combined Market Share of the Top Three) in the global automotive wiring harness industry reached as high as 71%.
However, this landscape is undergoing a transformation. The market share of Chinese domestic enterprises has increased from 3% to 28%. The advantages of domestic products are evident: they cost 40% less and have a 30% shorter response cycle. Several local companies have already achieved high-voltage wire harnesses capable of withstanding over 1000V, entering the supply chains of Tesla and BYD.
New automakers, such as NIO and Li Auto, play a crucial role in breaking the existing market structure. These new players prefer local suppliers, which has helped to reduce the custom development cycle from 12 months to 8 months. Local enterprises, with their regional production capacity layout (the Yangtze River Delta cluster covers 50% of the demand), ensure delivery resilience.
