James B. Treece News Editor Jim Treece is our former Retail Editor. [email protected] 313-446-1604 See All Staff Page Recent Stories Suppliers must keep their innovation pipelines full -- no matter what Automakers depend heavily on suppliers for the innovations that help sell vehicles. So how does a major technology supplier keep up the effort in the face of its own economic challenges and internal stress? A123 removed cobalt price swings from EV batteries A123 Systems' UltraPhosphate battery won an Automotive News PACE Award in 2018 for increasing energy density while eliminating the use of cobalt, a metal subject to wild price swings. Nvidia's brain helped pave the way for AV advances Nvidia won a PACE Award in 2017 for putting an artificial-intelligence supercomputer in a car, enabling automakers to move steadily toward autonomous vehicles. Federal-Mogul won multiple piston awards Federal-Mogul enabled engines to become smaller, more powerful, more efficient and cleaner with a series of eight PACE Award-winning piston breakthroughs. BorgWarner valve took the hesitation out of stop-start BorgWarner's Eco-Launch solenoid valve, a 2014 Automotive News PACE Award winner, eliminated the annoying hesitation that had plagued restarts in earlier stop-start systems. Delphi's Forewarn kept drivers safely apart Delphi's Forewarn won an PACE Award in 2000 for allowing drivers to rely on the adaptive cruise control system to maintain a preset distance from the vehicle ahead. Lear replaced fuses with a solid-state junction box Lear's solid-state smart junction box, a 2012 PACE Award winner, consolidated fuses, relays and more into a single assembly that was smaller and lighter. Valeo honored for parallel parking technology Valeo's Park 4U won a PACE Award in 2008 for aiding drivers in parallel parking by turning the wheels while the driver controlled the throttle and brake. Gentex put live action in rear view Gentex's Full Display Mirror, which streams video of a vehicle's rear view to a mirror-integrated LCD display, won an Automotive News PACE Award in 2016, the company's seventh. Dura's sliding pickup window could defrost Dura Automotive won a PACE Award in 2010 for a sliding rear window for pickups that incorporated a defrost capability. Bosch helped consumers warm to diesels Bosch's high-pressure common rail fuel injectors, a 2001 PACE Award winner, helped to make small diesel engines acceptable to consumers. Can't find your keys? Siemens finds a solution Siemens' Keyless Go, a PACE Award winner in 2000, uses an intelligent identification card, even if still in a pocket or purse, to unlock and start a vehicle. Strattec's liftgate hardware out of sight Strattec's 2018 PACE Award-winning Invis-A-Rise let automakers conceal the power liftgate struts in the roof rails, improving visibility, space and durability. Illinois Tool Works' PACE Award-winning fueling solution Illinois Tool Works' PACE Award-winning innovation made refueling faster and more convenient by eliminating the gas cap. Magna's PACE Award-winning door latch Magna's engineers were looking for styling improvements when they began rethinking door latches. And they kept asking, "What if?" Load More
James B. Treece News Editor Jim Treece is our former Retail Editor. [email protected] 313-446-1604 See All Staff Page