Bosch Active Safety Survey China Do Chinese car drivers know their guardian angel?

Transcription

1 Bosch Active Safety Survey China Do Chinese car drivers know their guardian angel?

2 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel

3 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel Introduction Mobility is a major achievement of modern society and with it comes the need for road safety. In fact, increasing numbers of road fatalities and road accidents worldwide has led economies to adopt a concept of sustainable mobility. This is the responsibility of all stakeholders and a priority to Bosch as the world leading automotive supplier. Existing and future vehicle technologies play an important role in making roads safer and providing vehicle occupants with optimal protection. Our associates work together with all car manufacturers to improve continuously the safety of cars. In recent years increasing attention has been given to crash avoidance technologies that provide the benefit of avoiding an accident in the first place. The Active Safety Systems ABS, launched in 1978 by Bosch, has reached near world standard status for new cars: 74 percent of all new cars produced worldwide have this technology on board. The latest technology ESP the Electronic Stability Program has proven its effectiveness in various scientific studies to prevent loss-of-control. The Active Safety Survey which we present to you today shows that Chinese car buyers care strongly about vehicle safety to protect themselves and their loved ones. In the future they will ask for more safety in their cars. We at Bosch have focused our attention to communicate the advantages of Active Safety Systems to all stakeholders. In 2004, Bosch launched ESPerience, a sales dealer training programme, to the market. We have developed a dedicated website to offer more information about active safety systems. The driving simulators permit to discover "on the scene" benefits of ESP. All carmakers, car dealers, driving schools, and road safety centers can experience the ESP simulator during activities. I hope the summary of our Active Safety Survey finds your interest. Ferdinando Sorrentino General Manager Chassis Systems Control China Bosch Automotive Products (Suzhou) Co. Ltd.

4 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel Active Safety System: ABS, TCS and ESP All Active Safety systems are based on the pioneering Antilock Braking System (ABS) which was launched in In critical driving conditions, the wheels of a vehicle may lock during braking, reducing the adhesion between tires and the road surface. This may mean that the vehicle becomes uncontrollable, since the vehicle no longer reacts to the steering input of the driver. In a vehicle equipped with ABS, wheel-speed sensors detect the speed of rotation of the wheels and relay this information to the ABS control unit. This calculates the degree of slip between the wheels and the road surface and detects whether any of the wheels are about to lock. If this is the case, the ABS intervenes to stabilize or decrease brake pressure. In doing so, it prevents the wheels from locking and the vehicle remains steerable, allowing the driver to avoid obstacles. Critical driving situations can occur not only while braking, but also whenever there is a need to transfer strong longitudinal forces to the contact area between the tire and the ground: when starting off and accelerating, particularly on slippery roads, on hills, and when cornering. Based on ABS technology, the Traction Control System (TCS) was launched in By adding an engine-management interface to the ABS, TCS prevents the wheels from spinning by reducing the drive torque at each driven wheel. TCS therefore provides a logical extension of ABS but in acceleration mode. The Electronic Stability Control ESP integrates the functionalities of the ABS and TCS, but has the added feature of a "yaw torque control" a functionality that prevents skidding. It is designed to help drivers maintain control of their vehicles in sudden maneuvers such as rapid steering and countersteering, sudden lane changes, and obstacle-avoidance maneuvers. The ABS, TCS and ESP active driving safety systems help to make driving considerably safer.

5 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel Installation rate of Active Safety Systems worldwide Since the nineties more and more vehicles have been equipped with Active Safety technology. In 2006, 74 percent of all new vehicles produced worldwide had at least ABS on board. The Antilock Braking System has now become standard equipment in many regions of the world: In Europe, North America, and Japan, ABS is increasingly being enhanced to include the functions offered by the traction control system (TCS) and Electronic Stability Program (ESP ). In April 2007 the US has just passed the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) no. 126 which requires all vehicles less than 4.54 tons manufactured for the U.S. market to be equipped with ESP after September In other regions, the share of vehicles featuring these safety technologies is still significantly smaller. In China 57 percent of all new vehicles have ABS and only 3 percent have ESP on board. ABS installation rate new vehicles worldwide ABS Installation Rate Production in%

6 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel Methodology of the Bosch Active Safety Survey China The Bosch Active Safety Survey China Survey has been commissioned to investigate the importance of vehicle safety to Chinese car buyers. The survey has been conducted from December 2006 to January 2007 in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Wuhu and Chongqing. In 20-minute face-to-face interviews 518 Chinese drivers, representative for the population of new car buyers and used car buyers, have been surveyed. The survey has been conducted earlier in 2006 in seven European countries: Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. In this report, the major findings of the Chinese Survey are compared with the average results of the European countries.

7 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel Safety is the most important purchasing criterion Question: "How important are the following criteria to you when purchasing a car: Safety, reliability, motorization, fuel consumption, design, price, comfort? Most car drivers consider safety as the most important purchasing criterion followed closely by reliability and motorization. The price of the vehicle is important to Chinese car buyers, but ranks only 6 th. How important are the following criteria to you when purchasing a car? Safety Reliability Motorisation Fuel consumption Look/Design Price Comfort & convenience equipment 1 = unimportant 5 = very important European car buyers consider safety also as their no.1 purchasing criterion. In Europe the price of the vehicle ranks second.

8 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel Critical driving situations are no exception in China Questions: "Have you ever made an emergency brake?" "Have you ever skidded with your car?" Dangerous driving situations are no exception in China. Almost 75 percent of Chinese car drivers have already encountered an emergency braking situation, and nearly every second driver has already skidded with his/her car. In Europe, car drivers had similar driving experiences: over 70 percent of interviewees had experienced emergency braking situations, while 30 percent had skidded with their cars. Have you ever made an emergency brake? 73% Yes Have you ever skidded with your car? 48% Yes

9 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel Passive Safety Systems and ABS enjoy top-of-the-mind awareness among Chinese car buyers Question: "Spontaneously, which safety systems do you know? Among all safety technologies airbags are the most known: 90 percent of respondents spontaneously name airbags followed by both seatbelts and ABS with 75% rate. As much as 27 percent of Chinese car buyers mention ESP. Spontaneously, which safety systems do you know? Airbags 92% 87% 90% Seatbelts 79% 73% 75% ABS 65% 79% 75% ESP 19% 27% 31% Female Male Total The survey shows that Passive Safety Systems (e.g. Airbags and seatbelts) have higher recall rates than Active Safety Systems (ABS, ESP ). However, Passive Safety Systems can only reduce the severity of accidents and injuries after the accident occurs, while Active Safety Systems, such as Antilock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Stability Program (ESP ) can prevent and actively avoid accidents.

10 10 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel Total Awareness of ABS and ESP increases when prompted Question: "Have you ever heard of ABS/ ESP?" This question was asked to interviewees that had not mentioned ABS and/or ESP spontaneously in the previous question. Have you ever heard of ABS/ESP? 75% 34% 7% 27% 21% 32% 1% 3% ABS ESP Not sure / no answer Unknown Spontaneously known Known when prompted This question resulted in an additional 21 percent prompted awareness for ABS and 32 percent for ESP. Combined with the percentages resulting from the spontaneous awareness, this leads to a striking total awareness of 96 percent for ABS and 59 percent for ESP. These results show that there is nearly no difference between Chinese car buyers and their European counterparts: 97 percent of Europeans know ABS and 61 percent have heard of ESP. However, the market availability of these safety systems in the respective markets is very different. While ABS is part of the standard equipment of all new cars produced for the European market, this holds only true for 57 percent of all cars produced in China. Furthermore, 43 percent of all European new cars in 2006 had the ESP technology on board. In China this life-saving technology is only available in 3 percent of vehicles.

11 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel 11 The driving benefits of ABS are well known. The advantages of ESP need to be communicated further Questions: "What are the benefits of ABS?" "What are the benefits of ESP?" What are the benefits of ABS? 6% 7% 4% What are the benefits of ESP? 11% 13% 83% 13% 63% described wrongly described correctly Benefits unknown Described correctly in parts Not only is the total awareness of ABS unprompted and prompted very high among Chinese car buyers, additionally Chinese car buyers seem to be well acquainted with its driving benefits: 83 percent of respondents can correctly describe the ABS technology's safety gain. Out of the respondents who have heard of ESP, 63 percent are able to describe its benefits correctly, which is to keep the vehicle safely on track and to prevent the car from skidding. This compares favourably to Europe where only 31 % responded correctly. However, compared to ABS the advantages of ESP need to be further communicated.

12 12 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel Chinese car buyers declare that ABS and ESP will become important equipment in their next car purchase Questions: "How important is ABS when buying your next car?" "How important is ESP when buying your next car?" More than 70 percent of new car buyers consider ESP to be an important safety equipment in their next car purchase. In the case of ABS this figures rises to 90 percent. As we have seen in a previous question, Chinese car buyers value safety very high in their purchasing decision. They are not only well informed about active safety systems, but are prepared to consider these systems as important equipment in their purchasing decision. If available, ABS will continue to grow but the limited availability of ESP in the Chinese market today might hinder this buying intention. is important when buying my next car 90% ABS 73% ESP

13 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel 13 Car manufacturers and their sales network are the most important source of information Question: "Where do you seek information on safety systems when purchasing a car new or second hand? 74 percent of respondents think car manufacturers and their sales network are the major source of information when purchasing a car. Family and friends follow second with 46 percent. 30 percent of the respondents admit that they are seeking information through the Internet. Where do you seek information on safety systems when purchasing a car new or second hand? 46% 74% Car dealers/car manufacturers Friends, Family 30% Internet

14 14 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel History of Active Safety Systems In 1978, Bosch was the world's first company to launch the antilock braking system (ABS) with electronic control. Drivers can brake more safely with ABS, because the system prevents the wheels from locking up. The car follows the driver's steering movements even when braking hard or driving on slippery surfaces. The vehicle remains stable, and the driver can steer clear of obstacles. Moreover, braking distance is generally shorter. ABS was the first active safety system in cars. In 1986, it was followed by the Traction Control System (TCS), which was based on the ABS platform, and in 1995 Bosch developed the Electronic Stability Program (ESP ). Today, roughly threequarters of all vehicles manufactured worldwide are equipped with ABS. ABS the long process of putting an old idea into practice Preventing wheels from locking had been a research goal since the beginning of the 20th century not only on cars, but also on railway vehicles and airplanes. As early as 1936, Bosch had registered a patent for a "mechanism to prevent locking of the wheels of a motor vehicle". All the earlier designs shared the same faults: they were too complicated and therefore too prone to failure, and they worked too slowly. The company Teldix, whose ABS activities were soon taken over completely by Bosch, started working on the project in Within two years, development engineers had already managed to reduce braking distance on the first ABS test vehicles. Steerability and stability were also preserved when cornering. But the roughly 1,000 analog components and the safety switches then used meant that the reliability and durability of the electronic control unit of this system, known as ABS 1, were not yet good enough for volume production both properties had to be improved. The advent of digital technology and integrated circuits (ICs) finally allowed the number of electronic components to be reduced to 140 in total. Development benefited greatly from the expertise that Bosch had only recently acquired during development of electronic engine management. After 14 long years of development, everything finally came into place in 1978: the system, known by Bosch as ABS 2, began to be fitted as optional equipment, at first in Mercedes-Benz's 'S' -class cars and shortly afterwards in BMW's 7 series limousines. ABS how it works The basic design of the first ABS generation has remained unchanged to this day. Each of the four wheels has a speed sensor, which measures the rotational speed of the wheel, and relays this information to a control unit. On the basis of these data, solenoid valves in the hydraulic modulator are instructed to open or close the brake lines to each of the wheels. A return pump ensures that there is sufficient brake fluid between brake pedal and hydraulic modulator, even when ABS interventions take up a considerable amount of time. If a wheel is about to lock under heavy braking, the system continues

15 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel 15 to reduce the hydraulic pressure on that wheel alone until the threat of locking is past. Once the wheel turns freely again, brake pressure is again increased. This increase and release of pressure continues until the driver reduces the force applied to the brake pedal, or until the tendency to lock is overcome if for instance there is more grip on the road surface. The working of the return pump is noticeable as a pulsating sensation at the brake pedal. ABS system improvements and additional functions During the succeeding years, developers concentrated on simplifying the system. In 1989, Bosch's engineers succeeded in attaching a hybrid control unit directly to the hydraulic modulator. This allowed them to dispense first of all with the wiring harness linking the control unit and the hydraulic modulator and, secondly, with plugin connectors to significantly reduce the overall weight of this ABS 2E generation. Using new solenoid valves, Bosch engineers created generation 5.0 in 1993, and in subsequent years versions 5.3 and 5.7. The main features were once again a significantly reduced weight and additional functions such as electronically distributed brake pressure, which replaced the mechanical brake pressure reduction mechanism on the rear axle. ABS 8 the current generation first appeared in It is modular in design, which allows the various degrees of complexity of the brake control system ABS, TCS and ESP to be manufactured in very similar ways. This makes it possible to optimize synergies in development and manufacturing. All the systems currently produced by Bosch are manufactured in an international development and manufacturing network to identical quality standards. This means that most ABS systems come off assembly lines that are located in the region where the automaker is based. ABS

16 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel 16 With increasing technical progress, the range and number of functions have also increased. In 1986, for example, Bosch began series production of the ABS-based TCS traction control system, which prevents wheel spin. Critical driving situations can occur not only while braking, but also whenever there is a need to transfer strong longitudinal forces to the contact area between the tire and the ground: when starting off and accelerating, particularly on slippery roads, on hills, and when cornering. By adding an engine-management interface to the ABS, TCS prevents the wheels from spinning by reducing the drive torque at each driven wheel. TCS therefore provides a logical extension of ABS but in acceleration mode. The Electronic Stability Progamm ESP integrates the functionalities of the ABS and TCS, but has the added feature of a "yaw torque control" a functionality that prevents skidding. It is designed to help drivers maintain control of their vehicles in sudden maneuvers such as rapid steering and countersteering, sudden lane changes, and obstacle-avoidance maneuvers. ESP is always active. 25 times a second, it compares whether the driver's steering input corresponds to the actual direction in which the vehicle is moving. If the vehicle moves in a different direction either understeering or oversteering ESP detects the critical situation and reacts immediately. To do this, it uses the vehicle's braking system as a tool for "steering" the vehicle back on track. Specific braking intervention is directed at individual wheels, such as the inner rear wheel to counter understeer, or the outer front wheel during oversteer. These selective braking interventions generate the desired counteracting force, so that the car reacts as the driver intends. For optimum implementation of stability objectives, ESP not only initiates braking intervention, but can also intervene on the engine side to accelerate the driven wheels. ESP substantially reduces the complexity of the steering process and lessens the demands placed on the driver. ABS, TCS and ESP were all introduced to the market by Bosch. ESP

17 17 Bosch Active Safety System Car drivers guardian angel ESP increases road safety Loss of vehicle control, or skidding, has been demonstrated to be the dominant risk factor in the pre-crash phase. An international comparison of the occurrence of skidding in the pre-crash phase proved beyond any doubt that at least 20 percent of all accidents resulting in injury are related to skidding of the vehicle in the pre-crash phase, and in the case of fatal accidents this figure rises to 40 percent. As these statistics are by nature global, they should be regarded as being at the lower limit. For example, an analysis of the German in-depth accident study (GIDAS) data showed that the proportion of skidding in accidents resulting in severe injuries is as high as 48 percent. The wider proliferation of ESP across the vehicle fleet has allowed evaluation of its effects in actual crash situations in many countries. Studies to assess the effectiveness of ESP now have been conducted in Japan, Germany, Sweden, France, and the United States. All these studies confirm the benefits of ESP on different road surfaces, using different analytic methods, and different makes and models of vehicles, including both cars and SUVs. Findings of the earliest studies now have been replicated as additional data have become available, and more refined analyses have enabled a more detailed understanding of the effects of ESP under a range of conditions. There is little doubt that ESP is highly effective in reducing single-vehicle accidents in cars and SUVs. Studies have estimated that it reduces fatal single-vehicle crashes by between 30 to 50 percent among cars and 50 to 70 percent among SUVs.

18 Bosch Automotive Products (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. Chassis Systems Control 455 Xing Long Street Suzhou Industrial Park Suzhou P. R. China Tel.: +86 (512) Fax: +86 (512)