Nanterre, January 10, 2012
Faurecia and Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions announce cooperation for wireless charging in vehicle interiors
Faurecia Interior Systems, a Business Group of Faurecia, world leader in vehicle interior systems, and Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions (PLDS), leader in the development and production of automotive CD & DVD modules, have signed a technical and business agreement to jointly develop in-vehicle wireless charging modules for nomadic devices.
Through the partnership with PLDS, Faurecia is making a step to offer smart functions that help create vehicles with high perceived quality interiors. The partnership enables the integration of wireless connectivity compatible with the vehicle's central electronic architecture and properly integrated in the interior cockpit of the vehicle. This way, a comprehensive solution for in-vehicle wireless charging[1] can be offered to automakers, providing full integration into the driver surroundings, such as center console, glove box, instrument panel and door panel.
The agreement between the two companies focuses on the joint development of an open platform compliant with Qi[2], the standard solution for automotive wireless charging, by the end of 2012. The Qi standard is backed by a group called the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), comprising more than 100 companies including the industry leaders in mobile phones, consumer electronics, batteries, semiconductors, components, wireless power technology and infrastructure such as wireless operators, furniture and automotive parts companies.
"Faurecia is aiming at further reinforcing its worldwide leadership in vehicle interiors by integrating comfort and human machine interface functionalities in its field of competence, where innovative end-user functions, such as wireless charging, are instrumental to increase the added-value offered to automakers," said Christophe Schmitt, Executive Vice-President of Faurecia in charge of Interior Systems.
"We are very excited about the cooperation with Faurecia because this partnership will empower the seamless integration of wireless charging into any place of the car interior. The most important aspect for the partners is the acceptance by carmakers and consumers," said Juergen Heck, CTO & Managing Director of PLDS. "I am convinced that PLDS and Faurecia can achieve a fruitful cooperation for future in-vehicle electronic innovations beyond wireless charging."
About Faurecia
Faurecia is the world's sixth automotive equipment supplier with four key business groups: Automotive Seating, Emissions Control Technologies, Interior Systems and Automotive Exteriors. In 2010, the Group posted total sales of 13.8 billion Euros. It employs 75,000 people in 33 countries with 238 sites and 38 R&D centers. Faurecia is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris stock exchange. For more information, visit: www.faurecia.com
About Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions (PLDS)
One of the world's leading companies for CD and DVD modules in the automotive market, supplying CD and DVD drives as well as so-called virtual CD changers for car radios, navigation systems, rear seat entertainment systems and multimedia units in the car. Formerly known as Philips APM (Automotive Playback Modules), PLDS can look back on more than five decades of experience in the automotive infotainment industry. Today, Business Unit Automotive of the joint venture Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions, founded in 2007, has more than 1,000 employees worldwide and supports automotive customers at several subsidiaries throughout the globe. Following the success of optical disc drive production, PLDS is developing new products in the areas of automotive wireless charging, connectivity, and other electro-mechanical devices. For more information, visit: www.plds.de
For more information about Qi and the Wireless Power Consortium:
www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com
Media contacts:
Olivier Le FriecFaureciaMedia Relations ManagerTel: +33 1 72 36 72 58Mob: +33 6 76 87 30 17olivier.lefriec@faurecia.com | Stefan Graf PLDS Director Marketing & New Technologies Tel: +49 6441 3722 728 Mob: +49 151 121 56 131 Stefan.Graf_2@pldsnet.com |
[1] Wireless charging: The process whereby electrical energy is transmitted from a power source to an electrical load without interconnecting wires.
[2] Qi (pronounced "chee") is the global standard for compatible wireless charging. Just like Bluetooth® set the standard for exchanging data over short distances or Wi-Fi(TM) set the standard for wireless networking, Qi sets the standard for wireless charging. To charge, just place a Qi-enabled device on a Qi charging surface; no cords need to be plugged into the phone.
