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About RAI Automotive Industry NL
About RAI
Automotive Industry NL
RAI Automotive Industry NL is the cluster organization of the Dutch automotive industry, mobility sector and related knowledge and education centres with about 200 members. RAI Automotive Industry NL supports the innovative Dutch automotive sector by profiling and representing the sector, nationally and internationally. An important basis is formed by the national eco system that is part of the innovative Top Sector High Tech Systems & Materials (HTSM), in which industry, education, science and governments parties actively work together.
The Netherlands is one of the most innovative countries globally, according to Global Innovation Index (PwC), Automotive Disruption Radar (Roland Berger) and Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index (KPMG). RAI Automotive Industry NL promotes the enforcement of the international market position of its members and promotes the business climate in The Netherlands by continuously strengthening the Dutch business innovation ecosystem.
Our purpose is to:
• Connect internal- and external stakeholders • Represent the Dutch Automotive
Industry • Facilitate initiatives and joint interests • Inspire & energize • Share best practices and intelligence • Stimulate cooperation and innovation
With your membership you support the strengthening of the Dutch Automotive sector:
• Promotion of the Dutch Automotive sector at home and abroad • Highly specialised knowledge transfer through workshops and on-the-job training courses • Strengthening automotive education at all levels so that more and better-qualified graduates become available to enhance the growth of your business • Widening the Automotive network to other sectors of excellence and networks needed to realise broad mobility innovations.
Membership Benefits
1. Join the Dutch Automotive Network 2. National-, and international partnerships 3. National-, and international Events 4. Stimulate Innovations 5. Create company awareness 6. Joint meeting point at the Automotive Campus
Automotive Roadmap
2020-2030
The Dutch Automotive Industry accounts for one of the largest export volumes in the Netherlands, generating about 20 billion euros per year. In a country with a high cost structure, this can only be achieved by delivering world-class technology realised through the world-class knowledge of ten thousands of passionate professionals. That is what the Dutch Automotive Community stands for.
The automotive industry is one of the cornerstones of the High Tech Systems & Materials sector. Modern cars, trucks or buses are remarkable High Tech Systems. They are equipped with advanced software and microprocessors, sophisticated internal combustion engines and after-treatment systems, and smart battery solutions to support a full range of objectives: safety, environmental care and overall efficiency, not to mention the excellent comfort we all expect ‘as a matter of course’. Everyone related to the automotive industry understands the challenges it faces. CO2 reduction and local air quality are societal issues that require our industry to come up with new solutions, including electric and hydrogen power trains. The same goes for safety, resulting in new driver assistance and traffic systems to protect vulnerable road users in particular. All of that at unprecedented levels of reliability and uptime. And let’s not forget the inevitable digitization, impacting our future product and business developments in an unprecedented manner.
All these factors have been taken into account when defining the Automotive Roadmap 2020 – 2030. As chairman of the working group, I cannot stress enough the importance of this Roadmap for achieving the milestones that society expects from us on the one hand, and for further strengthening the leading position of the Dutch Automotive Industry on the other. The roadmap shows how taking care of the world we live in and improving road safety can go perfectly hand in hand with economic growth and strengthening the excellent image of the Dutch Automotive Industry.
Subjects like hydrogen as direct fuel for heavy duty combustion engines, heavy duty hybrid drivetrain technology, as well as battery and battery-pack technology are of great importance. Same goes for sensing, driver assistance and navigation technologies that come from our Dutch industry. We embrace high quality cooperation with Dutch and international partners, as well as with the Dutch government, in tackling the very demanding roadmap challenges ahead.
I hope that you will be inspired by the new Automotive Roadmap. You can download the roadmap at Automotive | Holland High Tech
WWW.HOLLANDHIGHTECH.NL/AUTOMOTIVE
Ron Borsboom (DAF),
Chairman HTSM Automotive roadmap team
Europe has the strictest regulations for motor vehicles in the world. In our densely populated country, the future requirements for urban mobility, smart urban planning and environmentally friendly transport solutions will become even higher; making the Netherlands the ideal place to test and implement innovative mobility concepts.
The Netherlands wants to play a prominent role in the transformation towards reducing fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions. We are excellently positioned for this: the quality of Dutch high tech automotive products, systems and components is high and is coupled with a high degree of creativity and innovattiveness.
The top sector High Tech Systems and Materials (HTSM) strengthens the international position of the Dutch automotive sector with an HTSM international strategy. This strategy focuses on innovation and business opportunities, for example in Germany and France, including cross-over technologies such as lightweight materials and Artifi cial Intelligence. Holland High Tech supports trade show presentations worldwide to promote excellent Dutch examples of smart, lightweight, durable mobility solutions, which contribute to global challenges in the fi eld of green, smart and safe mobility. This Holland High Tech market development approach provides contacts, contracts and business cooperation for the Dutch automotive sector.
Until today, the Netherlands’ centuries-old tradition of creativity, pragmatism, entrepreneurship, openness and willingness to collaborate has proven to be the ideal breeding ground for new high tech systems and materials. By combining the unique forces between government, knowledge institutions and companies, we can turn the current international crisis in the automotive sector into a chance.
It is precisely the typical Dutch way of bundling knowledge and skills from different disciplines to rethink the mobility systems as a whole that is necessary to come up with the solutions that are required in this transition towards a smarter and greener world.
Intellectual Property in the automotive industry
By virtue of their exquisite innovativeness, Dutch automotive players managed to gain an important role in the global automotive business. High level developments in the global playing field will put even higher demands in the near future on continuous innovation to stay competitive and to find the optimum balance between often conflicting demands of fuel efficiency, safety, user comfort, etc., and all within a reasonable cost price. In such a complex and challenging environment it is important to properly establish the Intellectual Property (IP) of your company.
At Arnold & Siedsma, we understand that the automotive business is challenging, complex and multidisciplinary. Our dedicated Automotive team is ready and fully equipped to serve your interests and to help you protect your Intellectual Property. The team members are automotive enthusiasts by heart and have a wide range of scientific degrees extending from mechanical engineering, physics, materials and electrical engineering through to computer technology and software. They are well informed on the recent developments in the automotive industry and dedicated to provide the best Intellectual Property services possible.
Your full service Intellectual Property partner
Arnold & Siedsma is one of the few Benelux service providers with in-house expertise covering all aspects of IP rights. We have over 100 years of experience in The legal protection of intellectual property via patents, trademarks and design rights in the Netherlands and abroad. Arnold & Siedsma advises and represents many small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s) as well as multinationals in Intellectual Property matters, both for protection and on a strategic level. Among our clients are automobile and motorcycle manufacturers and auto-part suppliers from all over the world.
Our century old track record is based on our Intellectual Property understanding and technical expertise, but also on our “can do” attitude when promoting the interests of our clients. Since 2015, Arnold & Siedsma is the first large Dutch IP agency that is ISO 9001 certified. Our slogan: say what you do, do what you say, prove it.
www.arnold-siedsma.com
Innovation as a necessity
Disruption radar
We are on the eve of major changes in mobility. Today, we are facing the challenges that these changes thrust upon us. To handle these changes, the industry roadmap has been split in two main categories: Sustainable (Green) Mobility and Smart Mobility. Each has their own unique technological aspects and innovation challenges for mobility solutions.
The Dutch automotive industry has always embraced such challenges and the changes they entail. According to the “Automotive Disruption Radar” published by the Roland Berger consultancy firm, the Netherlands hold a joint 1st place in this field, together with China. According to Berger, the Netherlands are leading in the KPI of EV/ PHEV sales. ‘Unsurprisingly, the Dutch charging network with more than 9 charging locations per 100 kilometres (compared to an average of 1.7) is the most developed of all the countries included in the study’.
Autonomous Vehicle (AV) readiness
The Netherlands rank 2nd globally in the KPMG “2020 Autonomous Vehicle Readiness Index,” and the country gained 1st place on EV charging stations per capita and 2nd place on road quality. In 2019, the use of smart road furniture, including smart traffic lights that wirelessly send their status to AVs, was extended in 60 national regions across the country.
Patents
According to the European Patent Office (EPO), the Netherlands, with 6954 patent applications in 2019, are ranked 4th among the 39 EPO member states, after Germany, France and Switzerland.
Back to the future: key solution
Rapidly embracing new technologies sounds good, but it has also become a prime necessity. The Netherlands have a high population density. The challenge of providing accessible mobility for everyone, next to congestion reduction, reducing accidents and emissions, have become today’s drivers of technological change. Looking back, the current transition towards electric driving, which today is seen as a key solutions for the above issues, is not totally new in the Dutch context. For 15 years, between 1909 and 1924, the city of Amsterdam already employed electric taxis. And almost a century before that, in 1835, the Dutch professor Stratingh from Groningen was one of the first to experiment with an electric cart. What started almost 200 years ago has now become essential.
Evolutionary breakthroughs
Inventions are inspired by various sources and do not arise in a vacuum. In many cases, new technologies will build upon earlier inventions. Many innovations can therefore be said to be more evolutionary in their nature rather than revolutionary. However, even small differences can mean a breakthrough in the application of a new technology or entering a new market. For example, the development of lithiumion batteries in consumer electronics eventually formed the basis for the transition to electric mobility. Something similar happened with hydrogen: the flow of meltwater was used to generate power in summertime, but this energy source was absent in winter.
By storing the energy in the form of hydrogen, the power could be made available during the winter season as well. Nowadays, the principle of generating, storing and using hydrogen as an energy carrier has become a possible solution for zero emission transport.
The Netherlands have a long history of mobility related inventions. A brief overview is given on the following pages. This list is certainly non-exhaustive but provides a good picture of the breadth of technological developments in the Netherlands in the thematic areas of smart and green mobility and manufacturing.
4WD
A four-wheel drive in conjunction with a combustion engine was first used in 1902 in the Spyker 60HP racer.
Trado
The Trado system, named after Piet van der Trappen and Hubertus van Doorne, made it possible to convert existing (freight) cars with 4x2 configuration to 4x4, 6x4 or 6x6. The 4x4 system was initially only used for tractors, off-road vehicles and army vehicles such as jeeps and trucks, but from the 1980s onward it was also used in passenger cars.
CVT (via Variomatic and Transmatic)
The Variomatic is a continuously variable transmission system, an automatic gearbox, with belt drive. It was developed in the 1950s and 1960s under the direction of Hub van Doorne. A group of developers at DAF continued to work on the technology to create a pushbelt system, which was patented in 1970.
Locos
Chemist Else Kooi developed LOcal Oxidation of Silicon, a ground-breaking technique for manufacturing semiconductors.
Tilting cab
DAF introduced the tilting cab in 1969. This cabin was quite extraordinary because the kit system made it possible to build many different cabins with a limited number of components, from light distribution trucks to international transport trucks. The technique, which was brand-new in 1969, is still being used to this day.
Mirror glass actuator
Founded in 1935, MCi has been making actuators since 1972, when the company launched the world’s first mirror glass actuator. MCi is the world leader in the manufacturing of actuators for car exterior mirrors. Its core products include mirror glass actuators, used to adjust the position of exterior mirrors, and power folding actuators, which allow for fully folding exterior mirrors.
Turbo intercooling
DAF was one of the first to introduce turbo intercooling. The technology was initially developed to meet the demand for higher engine power and lower fuel consumption, but it also proved indispensable in achieving cleaner emissions.
Electronic stability program
Anton van Zanten invented the Electronic Stability Program (ESP). He joined Bosch in the 1970s, working in the team that had developed ABS. In the 1980s, Van Zanten started designing the ESP, which was launched in 1995. ESP is now mandatory in all new cars. According to manufacturer Bosch, the computercontrolled anti-skid system has prevented 260,000 accidents and saved 8,600 lives in Europe alone.
Space cab
With the introduction of the Space cab concept in 1988, DAF focused on both cutting operating costs and supporting the driver. This development continued when in 1994 DAF launched the Super Space Cab, with even more driver comfort and space.
Xenon
Philips invented Xenon HID technology in 1991. Xenon HID (High Intensity Discharge) lamps provide twice the light for safer driving in all conditions. The bright white light produced by the Xenon HID lamps is comparable to daylight.
Hans Pacejka developed a series of tire design models. These are known as ‘magic formula’ designs because there is no physical basis for the structure of the chosen equations, but they do fit a variety of tire constructions and operating conditions. Each tire is characterized by 10-20 coefficients for each major force it can produce against the contact patch, typically lateral and longitudinal force and self-adjusting torque, as the best fit between experimental data and the model. These coefficients are then used to show equations how much force is generated for a given vertical load on the tire, generating camber and skew angle.
Car navigation
TomTom developed the first mobile car navigation system, the TomTom Navigator, in the early 2000s. It was the first of its kind to offer motorists an advanced, portable and affordable alternative to expensive navigation systems built-in by the car manufacturer.
Personal Rapid Transit (PRT)
PRT, sometimes called podcars or guided/railed taxis, is a public transport mode featuring small automated vehicles operating on a specially built guideways network of guideways. The Dutch company 2getthere developed the first transit system in 1995. Pilot projects were realized at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (1997) and the Rivium business park (1999). The first permanent PRT system, in Masdar City (Abu Dhabi), opened to the public in 2010.
Radar chip
The radar chip developed by NXP Semiconductors is now installed in all vehicles in the world, within safety systems such as adaptive cruise control or lane assistance. It will become more and more important as autonomous driving continues to rise.
MADYMO (MAthematical DYnamic MOdels) is a software suite for analyzing and optimizing occupant safety designs and is owned and distributed by TASS International. Researchers and engineers can model, analyze and optimize safety designs early in the development process, thus reducing the expense and time involved in building and testing prototypes. It also minimizes the risk of making design changes late in the development phase. For new or improved vehicle models and components, MADYMO cuts cost and reduces the time to market. The simulations correlate well with real crash test results. Safety designers can apply design-of-experiments methods, optimization, or stochastic techniques together with MADYMO to explore the effects of multiple design variables simultaneously. Madymo’s market share is approximately 50%.
TwinMotor
Punch Powertrain developed the TwinMotor specifically for electric vehicles. This innovation makes it possible to power each of the four wheels independently, allowing full torque-vectoring capability. This gives the car much better grip on the road and enables more stable steering. The TwinMotor itself is a compact unit with two identical engines and identical transmissions, where the motor shaft is integrated into the transmission. The front and rear supports are also incorporated in the housing of the TwinMotor.
Variable compression ratio
Gomecsys developed a fully variable VCR system. The high-speed actuation results in 8% CO2 emission reduction.
Electric buses and more
VDL delivered one of the largest European fleets of electric buses to Connexxion/Hermes at the end of 2016. 43 VDL Citea SLFA Electric vehicles were ordered for servicing the Eindhoven region. VDL also provided the charging stations and, together with the power company, supplies them with energy. This makes VDL not just a bus supplier but a full system supplier. Next, VDL developed an electric truck (37t tractor, in collaboration with DAF) and several derivative products, such as a 28t rigid truck and an electric refuse truck with electric superstructure. VDL also developed several heavy duty vehicles, such as a bus, a tractor and a rigid truck, with a modular hydrogen range extender concept. Many innovations have come about through further development of the technologies invented for the earlier Phileas bus, which was ahead of its time. The Phileas was fitted with a hybrid drive, all-wheel steering and automatic guidance with a pre-programmed route, eliminating the need for a driver (although this feature was never operational). The Phileas concept served as an innovation platform for further Green & Smart developments.
Direct drive synchronous in-wheel motors
E-Traction infiltrates the e-mobility market with its “direct drive synchronous in-wheel motors”: a revolution in electric driving. The patented drivetrain technology transfers the propulsion of a vehicle entirely to the wheels.
Fine dust sensor
Prodrive Technologies develops inventions for the automotive industry. This hightech company already introduced a compact electric motor and a wireless charging system. Now, Prodrive is going a step further: it developed a particulate matter sensor, a technological innovation with a clear medical component. This sensor detects particulate matter both inside and outside the car and signals the air conditioning to shut off the outside air or to increase filtering to keep the air in the car clean.
Laser welding air management system
AWL-Techniek develops and manufactures automated welding systems. It builds welding machines for car seat manufacturing in which laser welding is widely used. To make the machines more valuable for the users, AWL has developed laser welding molds with the Laser Welding Air Management System. The basis for the Laser Welding Air Management System lies in the very precise blowing of smoke during welding, using compressed air. The air flow is set for each weld. This increases the usual welding speed by 20 to 30 percent and the weld quality remains constant.
New battery technology
LeydenJar Technologies has developed a new anode. And now, for the first time ever, anodes in lithium-ion batteries can be made from 100% silicon. This provides two key benefits: batteries with a 70% higher energy density (1350 Wh/L), and a 62% decrease in CO2 emissions.
Traffic live exchange
With its Traffic Live Exchange platform, Monotch can connect smart traffic lights with road users and road authorities, to optimize the traffic flow.
Waiting time predictor
Goudappel Coffeng came up with the waiting time predictor in 1996. This invention made it possible to include modalities other than the car in traffic regulations and to inform cyclists about waiting times, long before the first smartphone was even thought of. Only now are traffic apps starting to inform road users about traffic at intersections. The waiting time predictor of the past has been further developed over the years, specifically for traffic control. The result is ‘Gouden Regelen,’ a series of smart software modules for traffic controllers that optimize the traffic flow of all target groups at intersections or corridors. Entering the area of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, Goudappel has furthermore developed the prediction of waiting times at intersections into a Real Time Traffic State Prediction system, in which the predicted traffic situation is generated for the entire network with traffic models, using not only speeds (Floating Car Data) but also smartly taking into account traffic intensities for more robust and accurate results.
MADYMO (MAthematical DYnamic MOdels) is a software suite for analyzing and optimizing occupant safety designs and is owned and distributed by TASS International. Researchers and engineers can model, analyze and optimize safety designs early in the development process, thus reducing the expense and time involved in building and testing prototypes. It also minimizes the risk of making design changes late in the development phase. For new or improved vehicle models and components, MADYMO cuts cost and reduces the time to market. The simulations correlate well with real crash test results. Safety designers can apply design-of-experiments methods, optimization, or stochastic techniques together with MADYMO to explore the effects of multiple design variables simultaneously. Madymo’s market share is approximately 50%.
Partially, these inventions are historical innovations. In this Magazine, numerous companies are mentioned and described, who all contribute to the future of mobility; green- and smart mobility, with manufacturing and education as crucial enablers.
Because future mobility will increasingly involve greater IT and digitization, the following four inventions are certainly worth mentioning.
Wi-Fi
Together with Cees Links, Vic Hayes of Lucent Technologies developed the wireless WaveLAN technology in the late 1980s. Cees Links worked for the American company NCR. He wanted to wirelessly connect computers to a network. He went on to lead the team that invented a critical part of Wi-Fi. Hayes established a working group in 1991 to develop a standard for wireless networks. He managed to get the manufacturers on board, and in 1996 his team came up with the first WLAN standard: the IEEE 802.11. Both Dutchmen are considered the fathers of Wi-Fi.
Python
Dutch computer scientist Guido van Rossum designed the programming language Python in 1989. He worked at the Amsterdam Mathematical Center in the early 1980s, where he was part of the team that created ABC. Python is the most used programming language at Google, together with C++ and Java.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth was developed in the 1990s by the Dutchman Jaap Haartsen, while he worked at Ericsson. Haarsten was commissioned to find a way to establish radio communication between cell phones and other devices, and we all know how successful he has been in that undertaking.
Lithography machines
ASML is the world’s only manufacturer of lithography machines that use extreme ultraviolet light. EUV lithography uses light with a wavelength of just 13.5 nanometers (nearly x-ray level), a reduction of almost 14 times that of the other enabling lithography solution in advanced chipmaking, deep ultraviolet lithography, which uses 193-nanometer light. In 1965, Gordon Moore, one of Intel’s co-founders, predicted that the number of transistors in a chip would double every two years, exponentially increasing the computing power and decreasing its cost. Moore’s prediction has consistently proven to be true.
