Automotive Connectors: Not Just for Automotive Anymore

Satellite components and automotive components might seem like two disparate types of technologies, and indeed, for a long time, they were nearly as far apart as Detroit and Mars. But as more satellites are launched — more than a dozen a day now, on average — the satellite industry is looking for the same fundamental qualities that have worked so well in automotive: durability, reliability, scale and cost-effectiveness.

Good technology often finds unexpected uses far beyond what was originally intended. The transistor was invented not to create a digital revolution but merely as a more efficient alternative to fickle and cumbersome vacuum tubes. While transistors first found an obvious home in telecommunications, engineers in other sectors quickly realized that if you had a switch that was extremely reliable and could be miniaturized, even the sky was not the limit.

Similarly, there is opportunity for superior technologies to cross over in the area of connection systems. All electrical devices, from robots to automobiles to satellites, face an important design question: how to consistently deliver power and data throughout their machinery, however challenging the operating conditions may be.

A history of innovating in multiple ways

The crucial requisite for connectors, dating back to the earliest days of electrical wiring, is a contradiction: a component that will not shake loose but can be decoupled for maintenance. The ideal connector is designed with “secondary assurance,” a double-locking system that ensures a mated pair stays tight. This need must be satisfied at scale.

The automotive industry met that requirement long ago, with connectors for vehicles ranging from passenger cars used for stop-and-go daily commutes to heavy farm and construction equipment that must function in the full spectrum of environmental conditions. The best proof of such connectors’ reliability is their decades of success in a broad range of use cases.

Over time, along with enhancements in form and materials to increase resistance to corrosion, vibration and thermal stress, connectors gained digital intelligence. They became part of increasingly complex automotive electronics systems that now run on the Controller Area Network bus standard or, in the most recent iterations, single-pair Ethernet, which makes them even more analogous to other advanced systems. 

For automotive OEMs, a connector is a commodity component, made by the millions and priced accordingly. Connectors specifically designed for use in other industries serve similar functions, but because demand for them has been more limited, manufacturers have not been able to take full advantage of economies of scale. Nor do those bespoke connectors have a track record of millions of miles of reliable use like automotive connectors do.

Innovations that other industries can tap into

The ability to provide robustness at consumer price points has attracted the attention of other industries looking for connectors for tailored purposes without bespoke prices. For example, the automotive industry’s early adoption of single-pair Ethernet has increased the appeal of automotive connectors in other sectors.

Additionally, automotive protocols have extended into new markets. USCAR (United States Council for Automotive Research) standards — originally developed for automotive manufacturing — are increasingly being adopted in other industries, particularly in industrial automation and robotics, due to their emphasis on interoperability, data communication and smart manufacturing.

But there are considerations that must be taken into account in transitioning between industries. For example, because the automotive industry is primarily consumer-directed, and cost optimization has been at the forefront, design engineers have eschewed exotic materials for lower-cost ones that can be easily sourced. Other industries, especially aerospace, may need materials with higher heat tolerances than automotive. As a result, additional testing and validation of automotive connectors may be required in such industries.

Nevertheless, connectors with automotive roots will remain a compelling choice that will increasingly show up in industries far from their point of origin. They could even be used in the data centers that power AI. If that happens, the technology will have come full circle, as software-defined vehicles pull data from cloud platforms hosted in data centers that are using automotive connectors.