Forvia wins innovation awards for XL Hydrogen Tank and NAFILean-R

As our world pivots towards a more sustainable, climate-neutral future, the CLEPA Innovation Awards, now in its 8th edition, have become a symbol of excellence and a testament to the relentless pursuit of innovation. The awards serve to acknowledge the significant role of auto suppliers in shaping future mobility. With a staggering €30 billion invested annually in R&D, the automotive sector is the top private R&D investor in the EU. This year’s Awards recognised cutting-edge technological solutions towards the Green and Digital twin transition, mirroring the shifting landscape of the industry, with a focus on the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV).

“The Awards serve an important purpose – to recognise the latest technologies from automotive suppliers and to underscore the exceptional efforts being made within our sector. We focus on the Digital and Green twin transition because the demands of the digital transformation and sustainability require faster, more advanced and diverse solutions,” emphasised CLEPA’s Secretary General, Mr Benjamin Krieger.

The 2023 Awards showcased pioneering solutions selected as part of a competition earlier this year. The applications were assessed by a panel of 41 expert jury members, representing academia, industry and the R&I community, undergoing rigorous scrutiny. These experts evaluated each innovation based on its impact and market readiness, among other criteria.

CLEPA’s President, Mr Thorsten Muschal, underscored the significance of the awards in showcasing how technology openness helps to enhance EU competitiveness by stating, “As we transform our industry, it is imperative to create an attractive business environment, to establish the crucial enabling conditions needed to meet targets, and to allow for innovation by adopting technology diversity, which lessens our dependencies and allows us to reach climate-neutrality faster and more efficiently.”

To introduce the Digital category, Deloitte’s Mr Elmar Pritsch revealed brand new insights from a recent survey on the future of SDVs, examining the transformation challenges and opportunities related to this developing technology, stating that “We have entered the decade of the software-defined vehicle. Soon, software will become the differentiator on the basis of which people will decide to buy a car or not. As our recent study shows, suppliers have recognised the arising opportunities based on their traditional role in embedded software development. Now they need to unlock the full potential of software-defined vehicles by setting the right priorities to transform their business for continued success.”

The CLEPA Innovation Awards 2023 stand as a testament to the industry’s commitment to fostering a safer, smarter, and more sustainable mobility. Explore the innovations by Top Innovators, and also access the Deloitte study and other materials here.

Top Innovators 2023

Digital

• Bosch – Vehicle Motion Management
• Hella Gutmann – Automatic Diagnostics
• Marelli – Diorama Display
• Qualcomm – Snapdragon Ride Flex System
• (SME) Upstream – Cybersecurity and Data Management Platform for Connected Vehicles
• (SME) Wayve – AV2.0

Green

• Brembo – Beyond Greenance Kit
• (SME) Calyos – Micro Channel Heat Pipes
• Forvia Group Hydrogen Solutions – XL Hydrogen Tank
  The XL Hydrogen Tank provides a solution for heavy trucks that need to transition to zero emissions. The XL Hydrogen Tank is an extra-large Type IV composite tank. This tank maximises hydrogen storage (offering 70kg) enabling a driving range of close to 800km for truck drivers. The lightweight of the composite tank structure has no impact on cargo volume and can be installed in the vehicle as a side tank in replacement of conventional fuel tanks or behind the truck cab. The applicability for retrofit can be a solution to help transform part of Europe’s existing fleet to zero emissions vehicles.

Discover more videos on JEC Composites Web TV.

• Forvia MATERI’ACT – NAFILean-R
  Addressing the demand for more sustainable, carbon-neutral practices, NAFILean-R provides innovative, high-performance, and sustainable recycled plastic biocomposites. These materials contain 20% biomass combined with a low-carbon impact polypropylene matrix that is 100% recycled. The use of low-emission raw materials from renewable natural resources and post-consumer recycled plastic results in a weight reduction of up to 25% and a significantly reduced CO2 footprint (up to -87%).

Discover more videos on JEC Composites Web TV.

• MAHLE – SCT E-Motor Cooling Technology
• (SME) Mazaro – Single Stage Variable Transmission for E-drives