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IAA Commercial Vehicles: "There are three reasons behind a rethink"

First Sensor sees safety, protecting the environment and reducing costs as drivers of new mobility concepts for commercial vehicles and is expecting an increasing share in sales

While the first cars such as the Audi A8 are already technically prepared for partially automated driving at Level 3, commercial vehicles have lagged behind this speed of innovation up to now. The fact that sensors and cameras will also be equipping commercial vehicles with artificial senses in the near future will be taking center stage at IAA Commercial Vehicles, the world's most leading trade show for transport, logistics and mobility, from September 20 to 27. In Hanover, more than 2,100 exhibitors from 50 countries will be presenting their innovations, while formats such as the New Mobility World Forum and days with themes such as "Automated Driving" or "Alternative Powertrains" will bring the automotive industry together with technology companies, sensor manufacturers, mobility providers, start-ups and the digital economy.

Wilhelm Prinz von Hessen, Vice President of the Mobility business unit at First Sensor, also finds that there is growing demand for new sensors: "There are three reasons behind a rethink: safety, protecting the environment and reducing costs. That is why commercial vehicle manufacturers are actively pressing ahead with innovations for fully autonomous driving, even if only Level 1 assistance systems with warning systems for lane departure or emergency braking systems will become compulsory by law from November 1 to begin with."

First Sensor generates around 30% of its sales in the automotive industry. In 2017, that amounted to around EUR45 million. 20% of these sales come from the commercial and special-purpose vehicle segment. In the long term, Prinz von Hessen believes it is possible for commercial vehicles to account for a 40% share of the overall Mobility business. "The development cycles in the car industry also apply to commercial vehicles. Therefore, the foundations are now being laid for the business that will be in series production in seven years," said the automotive expert. That is why he and his development team will make intensive use of the trade show for discussions with existing and potential customers before First Sensor presents its own innovations at Electronica, the world's leading exhibition for electronics, in November.

Together with high-resolution monitors, cameras from First Sensor are already replacing exterior mirrors today and are thus eliminating blind spots. In addition, the omission of the large mirror housing ensures better aerodynamics and reduces fuel consumption as a result. "Platooning is also a future scenario that serves safety in road traffic and low fuel consumption in equal measure by combining LiDAR, radar and ultrasound sensors as well as cameras. Furthermore, the elimination of idle periods where vehicles are all at a standstill mean that the cost structures in logistics can be improved significantly," said Prinz von Hessen.

Besides optical sensors and cameras, First Sensor also produces pressure sensors for the commercial vehicle segment. "Battery electric drive concepts alone will not be enough for the dissemination of e-mobility. I think we will see hybrid solutions here in the future like those in cars, for which we are already supplying around 400,000 sensors per year today from our new high-pressure generation senseEdge. In addition, with this technology we are well positioned for the use of hydrogen fuel cells."

About First Sensor AG
In the growth market of sensor systems, First Sensor develops and produces standard products and customer-specific solutions for the ever-increasing number of applications in the industrial, medical, and mobility target markets. Based on tried-and-tested technology platforms, we develop products from single chips to complex sensor systems. Trends such as Industry 4.0, autonomous driving, and the miniaturization of medical technology will drive growth extremely rapidly in the future. First Sensor was founded in Berlin in 1991 and has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 1999 [Prime Standard Ι WKN: 720190 Ι ISIN DE0007201907 Ι SIS]. Further information: www.first-sensor.com.

Disclaimer
Statements in this report relating to future developments are based on a prudent estimate of future events. Actual events of the company may deviate significantly from planned events, as they depend on a large number of market and economic factors, some of which are outside of the company's control.

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