Printed and Flexible Electronics in Automotive Applications 2016-2026

Estimated reading time: 1 minute

This report focuses on technologies and components in automotive applications that benefit from the advent of printed/flexible electronics and already represent a market of a few hundred million dollars in 2016.

Some of the technologies described within the report are mature markets and are not expected to dramatically increase their market share or revenues (e.g. windscreen de-foggers) whereas others, such as structural or in mold electronics, are expected to grow significantly in the next decade.

Finally, other technologies such as e-textiles for example, are expected to take a few more years of development before we see them rolled out into automotive applications.

Overall, the market is expected to grow to over $5.5 billion dollars in the next decade, spearheaded by the growth of in mold electronics and OLED technologies.

The specific technologies discussed are listed below:

• Conductive Inks - a significant market in its own right, the market for conductive inks has seen application in vehicles in components such as window de-foggers and car-seat heaters.
• In Mold Electronics - also known as structural electronics, they are set to revolutionize the interiors of vehicles with increased design freedom and performance while reducing complexity.
• Haptics - a toolkit of technologies that will make touch-enabled technologies in cars "come alive".
• Force Sensing Resistors and other sensor technologies: Sensors are offering consumers improved comfort and awareness of their surroundings while enabling and fast tracking overarching concepts such as that of "the connected car".
• OLED Displays & OLED Lighting - flexible light weight displays and lighting enabling applications ranging from exterior and interior lighting and design, all the way augmented reality(AR) integration in vehicles.
• Thermal Interface Materials - A range of materials enabling the dissipation of heat generated by different components in order to maintain junction temperatures.
• Photovoltaics - improving fuel consumption and overall vehicle efficiency while maintaining green credentials and reducing emissions in accordance with tightening regulations globally.

The report includes descriptions of current and upcoming use cases of these technologies by existing and potential adopters and a detailed listing of the most significant players in each segment; it also includes relevant, interview-based company profiles, compiled using primary research by experienced IDTechEx market analysts, identifying and comparing activities of each of the major players in the key market sectors addressed.