Future Demand for Automotive Exhaust Gas Sensors to Remain Bullish

There has been a constant focus on improving the CO₂ and fuel economy among automakers, along with efforts on reducing toxic emissions such as NO_x or CO. Introduction of electric vehicles that deprive any emissions have further been complementing the automakers’ aim in reducing their environmental footprint. In case of vehicles with IC engines, manufacturers who focus on having the best fuel economy coupled with low toxic emissions, are expected to witness bright future prospects.

Automotive exhaust gas sensors play an integral role in monitoring and maintaining the emission levels of vehicles. Accuracy and reliability are the primary aspects considered in the automotive exhaust gas sensor development, as total number of sensors deployed is limited per vehicle owing to economic reasons. Improving overall performance of exhaust gas after-treatment is another key factor motivating the development of the exhaust gas sensors market.

Enhanced Engine Performance with Advanced Oxygen Sensors

Oxygen sensor functions have become an essential component for ensuring enhanced performance of modern vehicle engines as well as their fuel-efficiency. While traditional oxygen sensors are discrete switches, depicting oxygen levels above or below required level, modern oxygen sensors – called linear sensors - have been developed for measuring exact concentration of oxygen.

Use of advanced oxygen sensor functions has been deemed to be beneficial for both vehicle owners as well as the manufacturers, as they reduce environmental footprint. Higher fuel efficiency and reliability imparted to vehicles under wide array of circumstances and applications, with use of oxygen sensor function is another factor propelling demand for these sensors in the industry.

Oxygen sensors have gained immense traction as key elements of Engine Management System (EMS), as they enable greater control over emissions in vehicles, devoid of any impacts on the engine performance. Use of oxygen sensor functions further improves the self-diagnosing capabilities of vehicles, thereby improving the engine performance. Enabling real-time insights and quantitative control, advanced oxygen sensor functions continue to gain demand, aiding vehicle manufacturers and owners to benefit from better engine performance.

MAF and MAP Sensors Gain Momentum

Electronic control units have traditionally been employed in vehicles to ensure engine operation enhancement and effective exhaust gas treatment via precise regulation of the air-fuel ratio. Mass air flow (MAF) sensors and manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensors have sought extensive application in electronic control units for simplifying the process.

MAF and MAP sensors work in collaboration by transmitting signal to electronic control unit (ECU), for calculating the quantity of air that has been aspirated by vehicle engines. MAP and MAF sensors have together gained increased popularity as effective automotive gas exhaust sensors as they offer an increased tab on emissions, which in turn will continue to drive their demand in the automotive industry.

NO_X sensors on the other hand also find significant demand among automotive exhaust gas sensors, primarily driven by stringent emission standards mandated by governments worldwide. Additionally the shifting preference of vehicle manufacturers toward development of engines that feature relatively lower fuel consumption is further fuelling adoption of NO_X sensors.

Miniaturization of integrated circuits has been serving as a catalyst that has resulted in advancements in the automotive exhaust gas sensors in recent years. There has been a significant rise in adoption of the microelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensors – a miniaturized type of traditionally employed integrated circuits, which are manufactured with the help of microfabrication technology. Introduction of the EMS and MEMS sensors, which range in size from few microns to some millimeters, have further resulted in the development of miniaturized actuators and sensors.

Leveraging MEMS technology, developers have been enabled to manufacture sensors for measurement of radiation, magnetic fields, chemical species, inertial forces, pressure, and temperature. Most sensors produced with the help of MEMS technology have been deemed to feature better performance compared to the macro-sized sensors. Microsensors, with their relatively smaller size, continue to remain effective choice among automotive exhaust gas sensors, owing to their lower per-unit production costs.

High adoption of the microfabrication technology has further resulted in higher accuracy and reliability of the exhaust gas sensors used in automobiles, along with enhancement in their efficiency, communication capabilities, robustness, and response time. Several automotive exhaust gas sensor manufacturers have been increasing their R&D investments, with an aim to realize better microfabrication technologies. Such efforts of manufacturers are further expected to pose a significant positive impact on the supply & demand prospects of the automotive exhaust has sensors.

Growing vehicle parc across the globe, along with increasing vehicle sales in developed and developing markets are other macroeconomic factors that have driven demand for automotive exhaust gas sensors in the recent past. Vehicle manufacturers, in response to the rising environmental consciousness among consumers worldwide, have already begun integration of advanced automotive exhaust gas sensors in their vehicles.

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Created on Dec 19th 2018 22:07. Viewed 248 times.

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