LIVONIA, Mich. — TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. is celebrating the production of its 15 millionth Electrically Powered Hydraulic Steering (EPHS) unit and its 10 millionth Electrically Powered Steering (EPS) unit worldwide.
Frank Lubischer, vice president of engineering, TRW Steering & Suspension, commented: "The production of our 15 millionth EPHS and 10 millionth EPS units marks an important milestone for TRW and highlights the success of our electrically assisted steering (EAS) product portfolio, since the start of core development in 1992."
TRW’s EAS systems have been in production for more than 10 years and, most recently, the company launched its most innovative EPS Belt Drive technology on a range of vehicles, including the Ford Fusion, Flex, Taurus, Mercury Milan, Lincoln MkT and MkS.
Significant fuel economy and CO2 emissions benefits can be realized with both systems compared with traditional hydraulic power steering. The technology can deliver a fuel savings of 0.3 to 0.4 L/100km, with a corresponding reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of approximately 7-8g/km.
According to Lubischer, demand for these technologies is set to increase: "Pending proposals from a range of national governments including North America and China, in addition to established emissions targets for the European Union, will establish more stringent CO2 emissions legislation in line with consumers’ desire to protect the environment and with fuel prices reaching record highs globally — the development and growth of EAS technology is likely to accelerate over the next several years."
EPHS technology is a proven, “off-the-shelf” solution which can be used for most passenger vehicles’ steering load requirements, says TRW. With flexible packaging and mounting options, the technology offers much of the functionality, fuel efficiency and emissions reductions of a full electric system. EPHS is ideal for Hybrid Electrical Vehicles (HEVs) as a technology that can be used across both the conventional and hybrid powertrain platforms. The high degree of flexibility enables the lowest possible engineering costs; it also has the shortest time to market of TRW’s EAS systems.
TRW offers two EPS solutions to cover the full vehicle platform range, which consume power only when steering assist is needed. The first is the column drive unit that is mounted on the steering column and the second is belt drive where the assist power is applied directly to the rack with a belt drive and ball nut mechanism.
"TRW is well positioned to support vehicle manufacturers in their quest for improved fuel efficiency. We have proven technologies that can be adapted easily for conventional and hybrid applications. This makes it easy for our customers to fit a system that further improves fuel economy, beyond the powertrain itself," Lubischer said.
