Automotive connector components are an integral part of the vehicle and play a vital role in ensuring its safety, reliability and performance. The automotive industry is heavily regulated, with stringent standards and regulations governing the design, manufacture and performance of automotive components. LV214 is an important industry code that governs the automotive industry. Like USCAR, LV214 plays an important role in determining the quality of automotive components.
Ⅰ. Broadly Speaking
The global car market is not limited by borders, national pride or even tariffs. On the streets of countries such as Germany, the US and the UK, you’ll see multinational hybrids from Audi, Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen, Honda, Volvo, and even a few Bentleys, Peugeots and Teslas in some places. However, the components inside these vehicles can vary from one market to the next, even within the same model, due to standards and regulations in a particular country/region.
Automotive connector companies that do business with European and U.S. automakers either have to offer two sets of products to meet the specific needs of those countries, or offer connectors that are designed to meet all applicable standards across the automotive connector cross-market. (Once you consider the Asian automotive market, other standards come into play.)
Ⅱ. About Industry Standards
Companies supplying connectors to European and US automotive manufacturers either have to offer two separate sets of products to meet the specific needs of each market, or they have to offer connectors that comply with all applicable standards for automotive connectors in both markets. The two most widely used automotive standards and specifications are USCAR in the US and LV214 in Europe.
Ⅲ. What is LV214?
LV214 is a highly regarded automotive specification developed by major car manufacturers in Germany. The specification is seen as an important standard that automotive parts suppliers must meet.
The LV214 solves the problem of the ability of a crimp force monitor to identify terminals in an automotive environment. Terminals that meet the required criteria for crimp force characteristics are considered compliant. This allows the monitor to detect errors and ensure the quality of the crimp terminals by verifying that the correct pressure is applied during the crimping process. This is especially important for wiring harnesses used in automotive applications where safety and reliability are critical.
Ⅳ. What is USCAR？
USCAR (United States Council for Automotive Research LLC) is a cooperative automotive technology company. USCAR2 was published by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in 2008. It involves testing all phases of development of electrical terminals, connectors, and components that make up electrical connection systems for automotive high-voltage (60V to 600V) applications, as well as field analyses.
Member committees come together to work on projects that address pre-competitive pain points and opportunities in key automotive technology areas. Some of these areas include Electrical and Electronics, Energy Storage, Hydrogen Fuel Cells, Manufacturing, Materials, and Safety. USABC (U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium LLC) and USAMP (U.S. Automotive Materials Partnership LLC) are subsidiaries of USCAR.
Ⅴ. USCAR vs. LV214 certified connectors: who’s better?
So, we should be cautious when discussing whether USCAR or LV214 certified connectors are superior. Although the two standards have similarities in the scope of testing, they have their own emphasis on the specific rigor and coverage of each testing link. Specifically, the hydrolysis testing under the USCAR standard is more stringent and comprehensive than the LV214 standard, which may lead to a bias towards different plastic types or other design and manufacturing nuances. Therefore, it is not entirely reasonable to assert that a connector certified by any of these standards is absolutely superior.
Ⅵ. United States automakers use crimping, but European cars are moving away from this method.
Many connector manufacturers do not even produce crimp terminals. Instead, some connector manufacturers prefer to use the IDC technology. LV214 is aimed at virtual housings for connectors with individually placed crimp terminals. However, IDC technology forms a unit with the terminal base. Therefore, due to the design of the system, some test sets for housings or individual crimp contacts cannot be tested.
As the automotive industry rapidly shifts to the integration of new technologies. From the traditional vehicle lighting system to the innovation of LED technology, to the comprehensive upgrade of autonomous driving and safety protection systems, this series of iterations of standards will undoubtedly have a profound and decisive shaping effect on the field of automotive design. These changes not only mark a leap forward in the technological frontier, but also lead to a fundamental change in vehicle design concepts and manufacturing processes.
KONNRA will use high-quality, high-performance connectors to meet customer needs and promote the development of the automotive industry.
