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How many connectors a car needs is not the most important issue in the connection industry.
Electrical architecture centralization, wire harness lightweighting, and wireless communication will reduce some traditional connections. However, electrification, intelligent driving, and high-voltage platforms are raising requirements for power, bandwidth, and reliability. The number of connectors is changing, but for connector companies, more attention is paid to the connection location, materials, and implementation methods.
During the 2026 Munich Shanghai Electronic Show, TE Connectivity (TE) set the press conference theme as "Expanding Boundaries Together, Co-creating Value". Zheng Rong, Senior Sales and Marketing Director of TE Automotive Division in China, stated that TE is extending capabilities from connectors to conductors, wire harnesses, and system connections, and migrating automotive business experience to commercial vehicles, two-wheeled vehicles, and humanoid robots.
The key of this strategy is to allow TE to enter customers' product definition and system design links earlier. Determining earlier how materials are selected, how wire harnesses are manufactured, whether connection loops can be simplified, and how products are delivered overseas. This also means systematic solutions are entering the capability scope of a connector enterprise.
01.
Comprehensive "Aluminum Replacing Copper", Behind It is a System Engineering
One of the key points released by TE this time is to sign strategic cooperation agreements with Boway Advanced Alloy, Jiaocheng Ultrasonic, and Komax, to promote comprehensive "Aluminum Replacing Copper" in automobiles. The four parties cover materials, ultrasonic welding, production equipment, and connection solutions, hoping to connect the mass production chain from conductors to whole vehicle applications.
Sun Xiaoguang, Vice President and General Manager of TE Automotive Division and Industrial & Commercial Transportation Division in China, believes that aluminum replacing copper first has the significance of copper resource supply security, followed by cost and lightweighting value.
Automotive wire harnesses consume large amounts of copper materials. Electrification and intelligence continue to increase high-voltage circuits, sensors, and actuators, while AI data centers and grid construction are also competing for copper resources. Aluminum conductors possess density and price advantages, can reduce wire harness weight, and reduce the impact of copper price fluctuations on vehicle costs.
Sun Xiaoguang emphasized that copper and aluminum costs cannot be directly compared by price per ton of material. A more reasonable calculation method is to compare how much material each of the two solutions requires when transmitting the same current over the same distance, as well as the corresponding processing, connection, and verification costs.
This step pulls "Aluminum Replacing Copper" back from a purely cost issue to a practical engineering problem. Aluminum's electrical conductivity is lower than copper's, and equivalent current-carrying capacity may require a larger cross-sectional area. However, whether the whole vehicle can reduce weight and cost must be considered together with materials, wire diameter, terminals, and manufacturing processes. In other words, the true value of "Aluminum Replacing Copper" is reflected at the system level, rather than a simple material comparison.
But this does not mean aluminum wires can be directly installed on vehicles.
Sun Xiaoguang listed the main risks facing aluminum conductors, including creep, insufficient mechanical strength, crimping fracture, and electrochemical corrosion.
More importantly, the probability of some defects occurring is low, and it is also difficult to detect them in time on the production line. Once connection problems are scattered to multiple locations on the whole vehicle wire harness, after-sales maintenance will be very difficult.
Automotive wire harnesses are not easily replaceable standard modules. Wires run through the body and multiple electronic systems; local failures may manifest as intermittent open circuits, signal drift, or abnormal temperature rise. Troubleshooting costs are often higher than the parts themselves.
TE therefore emphasizes "High-end Aluminum Alloy Conductors" and requires redesigning terminals, crimping, sealing, and testing specifications. Material companies need to solve conductor performance, equipment companies need to solve welding and automation, connector companies are responsible for terminals and interfaces, wire harness plants and vehicle manufacturers complete manufacturing and verification.
A single enterprise cannot independently complete this technical route. After material performance improves, wire harness plants may still refuse to adopt due to excessively high equipment investment; after equipment costs decrease, lack of testing standards will increase quality risks. Whether "Aluminum Replacing Copper" can be mass-produced depends on whether the entire link is established simultaneously.
This well explains why the speed of "Aluminum Replacing Copper" entering vehicles looks not very fast.
Sun Xiaoguang worries that if insufficiently verified aluminum wires enter the market quickly, once mass quality problems appear, consumers may equate "Aluminum Replacing Copper" directly with cutting corners.
This risk has exceeded single enterprises. Low-quality products may squeeze standardized solutions with short-term cost advantages, ultimately damaging the reputation of the entire technical route.
TE hopes to establish a closed loop of materials, processes, equipment, and testing through four-party cooperation, and then promote vehicle mounting.
Sun Xiaoguang summarized this approach as "Slow Down", first clarifying technical boundaries and quality standards.
It can be seen that for the automotive industry, the value of "Aluminum Replacing Copper" does not lie in replacing copper with cheaper materials, but in establishing a new connection system that can be continuously mass-produced, used for a long time, and bear safety responsibilities.
02.
"Lighthouse Plan", Let Customers Enter the Front End of Product Definition
TE also released the "Lighthouse Plan".
Sun Xiaoguang clarified that TE does not view itself as the lighthouse. Customers provide requirements, pain points, and directions; TE is responsible for organizing technical and industrial resources to jointly overcome industry problems.
This mechanism changes the traditional supply relationship. In the past, vehicle manufacturers complete system definition, then specify requirements to component suppliers. The Lighthouse Plan advances cooperation to the problem identification and solution incubation stages, allowing customers to participate in material, structure, and process selection.
Current "Lighthouse Plan" disclosed founding projects include 0.19 hybrid composite wire, next-generation low-voltage aluminum alloy wire, flat wire, and new high-voltage contactors.
0.19 composite wire originates from customer demand for wire harness weight reduction and cost reduction.
But after the wire diameter shrinks, traditional assembly methods are difficult to guarantee efficiency and reliability; TE needs to consider conductors, terminals, and automated assembly synchronously.
This type of project reflects the coupling characteristics of connection technology. Wire thinning affects mechanical strength and crimping window; terminal shrinking changes machining precision; finally, it must adapt to the wire harness plant's manufacturing rhythm.
And flat wire targets wire harness automation, freeing up human labor.
Traditional automotive wire harnesses still contain a large amount of manual assembly, and changes in vehicle configurations lead to complex wire harness varieties, invisibly increasing labor burden. And flat wires can improve automation rate, reducing manufacturing fluctuations and quality risks while reducing labor costs.
Additionally, high-voltage contactors re-enter the Chinese market.
TE once introduced high-voltage contactors from the industrial and aviation fields into the Chinese automotive market, but did not fully adapt to domestic customers' requirements for price and rapid volume growth.
This time releasing an open high-voltage contactor solution, cancelling the traditional ceramic sealing structure, hoping to reduce costs and production energy consumption, while meeting high-voltage system requirements.
This is also an example of TE expanding capability boundaries. The company is no longer limited to passive connection components, but enters the high-voltage circuit control and protection links.
TE has established a joint innovation laboratory with Geely, and signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Li Auto. Zheng Rong stated that more customers also wish to participate in the Lighthouse Plan.
Whether the Lighthouse Plan can form a barrier depends on whether joint development results can transcend single projects and transform into platform products with scale effects. Customer lists and cooperation agreements can only prove willingness; mass production and reuse determine value.
03.
Auto Plus, Migrate Automotive Capabilities to New Markets
TE summarizes commercial vehicles, two-wheeled vehicles, and embodied intelligence as "Auto Plus".
The scale, cycle, and technical requirements of the three markets vary greatly. TE chooses to enter these fields, relying on the scale manufacturing, reliability verification, and supply chain capabilities accumulated in automotive business.
Commercial vehicles are not a simple copy of passenger cars.
Sun Xiaoguang believes that commercial vehicle connector projects have a longer investment recovery cycle, but product lifecycles can reach 20 to 30 years. Passenger car projects have faster returns, and replacement cycles are shorter.
Commercial vehicle usage intensity is significantly higher than passenger cars. Some vehicles may charge 6 to 10 times a day, posing different requirements for the lifespan, weather resistance, and reliability of charging connectors.
TE is developing 0.3 hybrid wire suitable for commercial vehicles, and exploring commercial vehicle aluminum replacing copper solutions. Commercial vehicle wire diameters are usually larger, and copper material usage per unit circuit is also higher.
Passenger car solutions can provide a technical basis, but cannot be directly copied. Commercial vehicles need to be redesigned for waterproofing, vibration resistance, charging frequency, and long-term supply.
The difference of two-wheeled vehicles lies in different cost structures.
TE focuses on two-wheeled vehicle ABS, cameras, electrification, and assisted driving connection requirements. Mid-to-high-end two-wheeled vehicles are adding safety and intelligent functions.
Zheng Rong stated that TE recently made progress in the two-wheeled vehicle market, with some customers actively seeking cooperation.
Two-wheeled vehicle connection requirements are similar to cars, but product prices, sizes, and environmental requirements differ. TE needs to compress automotive-grade reliability into lower cost and smaller size solutions.
Humanoid robots need to wait for commercialization to arrive.
TE believes that humanoid robots and cars both require perception, control, power, battery, and connection systems. Cameras, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radars, controllers, and high-frequency connection technologies have migration space.
Robot joints also require long-term bending wire-to-wire connections, and power systems involve batteries, charging, and battery swapping.
Sun Xiaoguang also admitted that humanoid robots have not yet entered the large-scale explosion stage; TE "still has no market voice" in segmented fields such as dexterous hands and joints.
The significance of Auto Plus lies in TE's attempt to expand the application radius of automotive capabilities and find new growth points outside of automobiles.
04.
How Chinese Innovation Connects Global Markets
Sun Xiaoguang divides localization into several levels: production, supply chain, R&D, talent, and decision-making authorization.
TE stated that over the past three consecutive years, more than 60% of the company's global invention patents come from the Chinese team. The Chinese management team also obtained local authorization for new factories, R&D projects, and market decisions.
This reflects TE's new positioning; China has shifted from a manufacturing base to a global R&D and decision node.
The synergy of TE China + Global also provides more assistance for Chinese customers going overseas.
TE can not only meet the product requirements of Chinese customers, but its manufacturing capabilities in regions such as Europe, Morocco, Brazil, and Thailand can also provide localization support for Chinese vehicle manufacturers and Tier 1s in local production, supply chain, regulations, and employment environments.
For TE, the Chinese market provides rapid iteration, complete supply chain, and large-scale applications; overseas networks provide local manufacturing, customer coverage, and compliance capabilities. Only after combining both can Chinese R&D results have the opportunity to become global products.
Conclusion
Comprehensive "Aluminum Replacing Copper" provides a technical sample, the Lighthouse Plan establishes a joint development mechanism, Auto Plus expands the application scope of automotive capabilities, and Chinese R&D with global manufacturing networks are responsible for pushing solutions to more markets. These four main lines jointly point to TE's upgrade, from supplying connectors to participating in material, process, system, and supply chain design.
This path is not easy. Aluminum replacing copper requires long-term verification, Lighthouse projects need to form scale mass production, two-wheeled vehicles and robotics businesses still need to establish product boundaries, and Chinese innovation also needs to be adopted by global customers.
Connectors are still TE's basic foundation, but capabilities beyond connectors are enabling TE to inject greater value into the automotive industry.
