The rapid development of new energy vehicles is reshaping the automotive industry chain pattern, and the wiring harness system, as the "nervous system" of vehicles, has also undergone profound changes in its technical demands and market structure. From high voltage, intelligence to lightweighting, the wire harness industry is undergoing an all-round upgrade from material innovation to manufacturing models. This article will analyze the core impact of new energy vehicles on the demand for wiring harnesses from three dimensions: technological evolution, market landscape, and future trends.

The revolution of high-voltage drive technology

The popularization of 800V high-voltage platforms

The trend of high voltage in new energy vehicles is significant. The popularization of 800V platforms (such as Porsche Taycan and XPeng G9) has driven the voltage resistance level of wiring harnesses to increase from the traditional 600V to over 1500V. High-voltage wiring harnesses need to adopt new technologies such as silicone insulation and three-layer shielding structure to suppress partial discharge and electromagnetic interference (EMI), while meeting the ISO 26262 functional safety standard.

Material breakthrough: Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) and ceramic nanocomposites have been widely applied, and the temperature resistance grade has been raised to 200℃.

Liquid cooling technology: The liquid-cooled charging gun wiring harness of the Porsche Taycan can achieve a continuous current of 500A, with temperature rise controlled within 30K.

The market has exploded

In 2022, the market size of high-voltage wiring harnesses in China was 14.14 billion yuan. It is expected to reach 23.8 billion yuan by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 28%. Globally, the market size of high-voltage wiring harnesses is expected to exceed 18 billion US dollars by 2025, with China accounting for 45%.

Intelligence and architecture Reconfiguration

Transformation of electronic and electrical architecture

The application of the Zonal Architecture significantly reduces the length of the wiring harness (for example, the wiring harness of Tesla Cybertruck is shortened to 100 meters), but the problem of cross-domain signal synchronization needs to be solved. In-vehicle Ethernet (with a bandwidth of 10Gbps) is gradually replacing CAN bus and becoming the core of intelligent driving data transmission.

The demand for sensors has soared: The number of sensors in L3+ autonomous driving models has exceeded 30, and the demand for dedicated optical fiber harnesses for lidar has increased by 62% annually.

Lightweighting and cost challenges

Material substitution and process innovation

Aluminum wire substitution: The electrical conductivity of aluminum wire reaches 97% of that of copper, its weight is reduced by 30%, and its cost is cut by 40%. By 2025, its application proportion is expected to reach 22%.

Carbon fiber composite material: The weight of the sheath is reduced by 60%, helping to reduce the overall vehicle weight by 10% to 15%.

Cost pressure and automation upgrade

Raw material costs account for 65% to 80% of the total cost of wiring harnesses, among which copper materials have the highest proportion. By means of automated production (crimping accuracy ±0.1mm) and digital twin technology, the automation rate of domestic wire harness factories will reach 75% by 2025, and labor costs will be reduced by 40%.

Reconstruction of the supply chain ecosystem

The acceleration of domestic substitution

Foreign manufacturers (such as Yazaki and Aptiv) have long held over 70% of the market share. However, domestic enterprises like Huguang Co., Ltd. and Kabeiyi have increased their market share from 3% to 28% through technological breakthroughs (such as high-voltage wire harnesses withstand 1000V) and customer expansion (entering the supply chains of Tesla and BYD).

Standardization and modularization

Byd e-Platform 3.0 has reduced the number of connector types from 120 to 30, increasing assembly efficiency by 25%. Aptiv's Intelligent Automotive Architecture (SVA) drives wiring harness suppliers to transform towards modular system integration.

Future trends: Intelligence and sustainability

Intelligent wiring harness system

Embed fiber Bragg grating sensors to monitor temperature and strain in real time; Self-healing material technology can extend the lifespan of wiring harnesses by 30%.

Green manufacturing

The EU's "New Battery Regulation" requires that the recycling rate of wiring harnesses exceed 95%, and the carbon footprint of bio-based materials (such as BASF Ultramid® Bio) be reduced by 60%, which has been applied to the SAIC IM Motors L7.

Wireless exploration

The BMW iX reduces the number of door wiring harnesses by 12 through UWB technology, but the backbone network still relies on wired transmission. It is expected that by 2025, the proportion of the "wired + wireless" hybrid architecture will exceed 80%.

The explosive growth of new energy vehicles has driven the wiring harness industry to leap from traditional manufacturing to a high-tech intensive industry. Future competition will focus on materials science (such as superconducting technology), intelligent manufacturing (such as AI quality inspection), and ecological collaboration capabilities. Domestic manufacturers are gradually breaking the monopoly of foreign capital through technological breakthroughs and supply chain integration. This transformation is not only an iteration of technology, but also a crucial battle for the redistribution of value in the global automotive supply chain.