50 million electric steering systems
- Electromobility and automated driving require electric steering
- A production milestone: 50 million electric steering systems produced worldwide
- Servolectric® from Bosch saves up to 0.8 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers
- Production worldwide, in Europe, North America and China
- Seven out of ten Bosch power steering systems are currently electrically driven
Electric steering is expanding fast: as an indispensable component in driver assistance systems, such as lane-keeping or parking assistance, it is appearing more and more frequently as a standard feature in modern cars. In addition, it saves on fuel compared with hydraulic power steering – up to 0.8 liters per 100 kilometers driven, depending on the driving cycle. The growing importance of electric steering systems can be credited with a major milestone at Bosch: at Schwäbisch Gmünd, the 50 millionth Servolectric® came off the production lines on 22 July 2015, twelve years after the start of production. “The next 50 million certainly won’t take another twelve years”, says Christian Sobottka, Chairman of the Automotive Steering Business Division of Bosch, in view of the heavy demand.
The market shares for electric steering will keep on rising. For electrification and automated driving – two important trends for the future of the global automotive industry – electric steering is a key technology. For example, only electric steering is used in electric cars, since the power supply from a combustion engine is not available for hydraulically assisted steering.
Automated driving: interaction of steering, brake and sensors
During automated driving, vehicles take the wheel themselves in certain situations, for example during freeway driving, and by doing so they ensure greater safety and comfort. The interlinking and interaction of the steering system with all the important components in the vehicle are central factors. These include for example the ESP brake control system, the engine control unit and the surround sensors. These components are designed and produced by Bosch – one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers – also in their millions. A further focus of research and development activities is the interlinking of the components to create software-controlled total systems. Bosch has for example perfected a solution that allows a rig comprising a car and trailer to be maneuvered from outside the vehicle using a Smartphone.
Out of ten Bosch-made steering systems, seven have an electric drive
Electric steering systems are coming off Bosch production lines in Europe, North America and China. At present, around 70 percent of its power steering systems are being built with electric drive. By comparison: in 2009 that proportion was still 40 percent. For 2020, Bosch expects that hydraulic systems will only make up ten to fifteen percent of the total steering systems produced.
