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Delphi Looks a Decade Into the Future to Deliver Technology's Promise

18 October 2000

Delphi Looks a Decade Into the Future to Deliver Technology's Promise

             Runkle speaks at Convergence 2000 Blue Ribbon Panel

    DETROIT, Oct. 18 Electronic innovations will shape the
automotive industry in the coming decade, according to comments made this
afternoon at the Blue Ribbon Panel at Convergence 2000.
    Donald L. Runkle, executive vice president and president, Dynamics &
Propulsion Sector of Delphi Automotive Systems , joined four
industry experts and moderator, William Powers, vice president of research for
Ford Motor Company, to answer key questions about the future of automotive
electronics.
    Speaking specifically on electronics, Runkle told the panel:  "I think we
are in for a very exciting decade as we knock on the door of unlimited
computing power, unlimited memory and unlimited bandwidth.  By 2010, I expect
advancements in electronics to propel the auto industry toward solving many of
its remaining problems."
    Runkle emphasized six major electronic/electrical changes on the horizon
for the next decade:

    Electronic Cocoon -- This is a broad Delphi innovation where sensors and
computers will be constantly on guard for things like rear-end and frontal
collisions, broadside collisions and vehicle stability.  "With the right kind
of focus and developments, I think we can imagine cars that don't have
accidents," Runkle said.
    Vehicle Stability Control -- Products such as Delphi's TRAXXAR(TM) and
Brake-By-Wire Systems, provide major improvements in braking, handling, and
overall vehicle stability.  "I know the concept of accident-free driving will
strike fear in the hearts of many, including airbag producers and some 'legal
eagles,' but we can't stop progress," Runkle said.
    Electrical Intense Powertrains -- The challenges of providing both cleaner
and more efficient vehicles are now met simultaneously.  According to Runkle,
since the practical application of electricity more than one hundred years
ago, there has been a trend to replace mechanical and hydraulic devices with
electrically driven motors and actuators.  This has been true in virtually
every mechanical system, including the automobile.  This trend will continue
what Runkle calls "electrical intense powertrains."
    Total Vehicle Energy Management -- "Future electrical systems will need to
be thought of in the context of energy management systems," Runkle said.  "One
can see the day when engine control may be a subset of the energy management
system."  Load management and peak level shaving will be standard features to
minimize system cost and optimize vehicle efficiency.
    Mobile Multimedia -- Consumers continue to demand more from their vehicles
in their average 80-minute-per-day drive time.  Delphi will meet that demand
with the Communiport(R) Mobile Multimedia System.  "The information and
entertainment features will relieve the tedium of the long commute," Runkle
said.
    14/42-Volt Electrical Architecture -- According to Runkle, 42 volt will
become an expected standard for most automakers in the future because
consumers will demand more from their vehicles.  "If we want to apply high
power electrical loads such as valve train, then 42-volt makes sense," he
said.

    Members of the Convergence 2000 Blue Ribbon Panel, moderated by Ford's
William Powers, were: Runkle, Francois Castaing of Castaing and Associates,
Hans Gustavsson of Volvo Car Corporation, Norio Omori of DENSO Corporation and
Franz Wressnigg of Siemens Automotive Corporation.
    More information on the Blue Ribbon Panel can be found at
http://www.convergence2000.org .
    Multi-national Delphi Automotive Systems, with headquarters in Troy,
Mich., USA, Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo, Brazil, is a world leader in mobile
electronics and transportation components and systems technology.  Delphi's
three business sectors -- Dynamics & Propulsion; Safety, Thermal & Electrical
Architecture; and Electronics & Mobile Communication -- provide comprehensive
product solutions to complex customer needs.  Delphi has approximately 216,000
employees and operates 184 wholly owned manufacturing sites, 44 joint
ventures, 53 customer centers and sales offices and 31 technical centers in 40
countries.  Delphi can be found on the Internet at http://www.delphiauto.com .