Electronic controls in automobiles are increasingly being used to boost fuel efficiency, make safety devices more effective and render accessories more reliable. To ensure that these switches, connectors and relays perform to expectations, gold contacts are used.
The value of microprocessors for electronic controls in cars has increased to US$1,100 for a top-of-the-line model in 1995 from US$540 in 1985.
According to Motorola, a major supplier of automobile microprocessors, that value is expected to increase to $3,000 for luxury cars by 2006.
Vehicle electronics is the fastest-growing sector in the automobile business. Electronic suppliers estimate that automotive electronics sales, which reached US$7 million in 1991, will top US$15 million in 1997. The increasing use of anti-lock brakes, electronic fuel-injection and temperature controls, anti-theft sensors, emission controls and air bags requires unfailing response to instant demand under all road and operating conditions.
No other metal can stand up to the severe environments found in automobile engines without subsequent deterioration of electronic signals. Gold can be relied upon despite moisture, road dust, polluted air and rapid changes in temperature. In addition, positive responses must be achieved when there are sudden demands for action despite long periods of inactivity.
Safety systems require a response time within 40 milliseconds to provide protection to the driver and passengers. Only gold can provide such a rapid response time under all conditions.
The two most important electrical/electronic components that require the use of gold are gold-plating salts (used to plate switch contact surfaces) and gold bonding wire (which connects microprocessors to the systems they control). The sectors that manufacture those components consume 200 tons of gold per year and account for 75% of worldwide industrial-use gold.
In the future, gold will be used in such safety systems as individual wheel electronic traction control, proximity hazard warnings, collision avoidance systems and pitch-and-yaw compensating devices for car stability under rough road conditions. Also under development are satellite navigation indicators and warning systems to keep sleepy drivers awake.
— The preceding is an excerpt from “Gold News,” published by the Washington, D.C.-based Gold Institute.
Be the first to comment on "NEW HORIZONS — Gold on the road"