Development of New Energy Vehicles Boosts Demand for FPC in Automotive Applications

June 15, 2023

Development of New Energy Vehicles Boosts Demand for FPC in Automotive Applications

The rise of new energy vehicles has opened up new opportunities for the growth of flexible printed circuit boards (FPC) in the automotive field. FPC, with its lightness, thinness, foldability, and high wiring density, has become more widely used in the automotive industry due to the trend of automotive lightweighting, intelligence, and electrification. Its applications have expanded to include automotive electronic control units, battery management systems, multimedia systems, and other devices. In addition, the trend of FPC replacing traditional harnesses in new energy vehicle power batteries and the rising demand for consumer electronics have further boosted the demand for FPC.

Double Sided FPC PCB

The FPC market in the automotive industry is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. According to market research firm Prismark, the global automotive market is expected to reach $266 billion in 2023, with a projected year-on-year growth rate of 5.6%, and a forecasted annual compound growth rate of 5% from 2022 to 2027. Many listed companies are optimistic about the development prospects of automotive electronics and are actively promoting the development of automotive FPC business.

FPC manufacturers are investing in increasing production capacity to meet the rising demand for FPC in the automotive industry. For example, Dongshan Precision plans to invest in a new energy flexible circuit board and assembly project to increase its annual production capacity of FPC for new energy vehicles. Yidong Electronics is also strengthening its layout in the field of new energy vehicles by investing in FPC projects.

The trend of FPC replacing traditional harnesses in new energy vehicles is becoming more and more obvious. FPC has advantages in high integration, light weight, small size, and can effectively reduce the cost of new energy vehicles. According to Prismark, the average cost of a traditional wiring harness in a new energy vehicle is about $1,500, while the cost of an FPC is only about $500, which can significantly reduce the cost of vehicles. The use of FPC in new energy vehicles can also greatly improve the safety and reliability of the vehicle.

Our newly shipped PCB, which uses 20mil Rogers RO4003C material and a lead-free process, is also designed for use in automotive applications. The construction details include a board dimension of 82.00 x 108.00 mm, minimum trace/space of 6/7 mils, and minimum hole size of 19.69 mils. The board has no blind or buried vias and the finished board thickness is 0.98 mm. The surface finish is ENIG (Electroless Nickle and Immersion Gold) and the top and bottom solder masks are green. The PCB is 100% electrically tested and has 0.5mm vias filled by resin and capped as per IPC-4761 Type VII.

20mil RO4003C material PCB

In conclusion, the development of new energy vehicles has opened up new opportunities for the growth of FPC in the automotive industry. With the trend of FPC replacing traditional harnesses in new energy vehicles and the rising demand for consumer electronics, the FPC market is expected to further expand. FPC manufacturers should actively carry out technology research and development and expand production capacity to achieve a new round of revenue scale expansion and consolidate their advantage positions in competition by building industry barriers.