What Trends Do You See in Vehicle Integration and Radar Sensor Coverage?
In commercial vehicles, heated radomes are essential. Trucks and other vehicles operating under extreme weather conditions need reliable solutions to prevent radar performance from being affected by snow or ice.
Another critical aspect is the functionality of radar covers. Until now, the focus has mainly been on protecting the electronics, but the choice of materials and design directly impact radar performance. The ability of radar waves to penetrate plastic is often overlooked by developers.
With increasing cost pressures and growing sensor density in vehicles, optimizing both performance and efficiency becomes more important. This means that in the future, not only heating but also other functions will be integrated into the radar environment—whether for better signal transmission or to reduce costs and design complexity.
A High-Resolution Radar With Excellent Performance Loses Efficiency When Installed Behind a Plastic Cover That Attenuates Signals. How Significant Is This Impact, and What Options Exist to Minimize Performance Losses?
The cover—whether a radome or an additional plastic layer—has a significant impact on radar performance. Any attenuation or distortion caused by the material, shape, or surface properties leads to signal losses that must be compensated for.
An often underestimated factor is the curvature and structure of the cover. The less optimal the design, the more power the radar must use to achieve the same results. This means that a suboptimal choice of material or design ultimately increases costs, as stronger signal processing or more powerful hardware is required.
The smart solution is to optimize components such as the radome and antenna from the outset. If these elements are designed with minimal signal loss, electronics, software, and other systems do not need to be excessively upgraded. Thus, performance is always also a cost issue: The better the interaction between materials and design, the more efficiently and economically the overall system can be realized.
The Number of Radar Sensors Is Increasing, Leading to Growing Cost Pressure on These Systems. Waveguide Antennas Promise Both Cost Reductions and Improved Performance. How Do You Assess the Development of This Technology? Will It Become Widely Adopted?
Discussions in the industry indicate that nearly all key players—whether customers, chip manufacturers, or automotive suppliers—expect a majority of radar sensors to be equipped with waveguide antennas in the future.
Currently, this technology accounts for less than 30% of the market. However, in the coming years, its share is expected to exceed 50%, and by 2030, it could completely dominate radar systems. However, automotive industry development cycles are long, so adoption will take some time. Still, one thing is clear to me: Waveguide antennas will play a central role in radar sensor technology and will fundamentally transform the market.
Many Companies Focus On Antenna Design, but the Complex Manufacturing Process Is Often Overlooked—Especially Given the High Volume and Quality Demands in the Automotive Industry. How Do You Assess the Challenges in Production?
I have spent the last six to seven months closely examining this topic, and my impression is that the industry is still in its early stages.
While all stakeholders recognize the benefits of waveguide solutions, knowledge about the correct process chain and production scaling varies significantly. Even major manufacturers cannot implement the industrial production of such complex components overnight because it falls outside their core expertise. Companies with specialized production capacity, such as OECHSLER, have a clear advantage here.
Another major issue is the lack of industrialization capacity. Even a leading chip manufacturer with a broad market perspective currently sees insufficient production capacity for scaling new radar technologies. This highlights that while the market holds enormous potential, the right manufacturing strategy must first be developed to make these technologies mass-market-ready.
How Do You Assess the Challenges in Production?How Important Is It to Find New Ways to Develop Functional Prototypes Faster and More Cost-Effectively?
This is a crucial factor. Today, the development of high-performance systems does not primarily come from large automotive suppliers but from innovative, smaller companies. These often lack the financial resources to invest in expensive tools that cost €50,000 or more upfront.
During the early development phase, radar systems go through multiple design iterations. However, if each prototype tool takes weeks to produce and incurs high costs, the entire innovation process slows down significantly.
A customer recently put it bluntly: "We had multiple designs but couldn’t test any of them because we didn’t know how to build them." In such cases, many companies turn to milling processes—not because they are optimal, but because they are easy to implement.
This is where tool-free manufacturing comes into play. If functional prototypes could be directly produced from plastic using rapid prototyping, it would accelerate development and significantly reduce costs. This approach would allow smaller companies to reach validation faster without being hindered by traditional manufacturing processes. It is an exciting avenue for bringing innovations to market efficiently and affordably.
Various Estimates Suggest That by 2030, Around 300 Million Vehicles Worldwide Will Be Equipped With Adas (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) Functions. How Will the Radar Sensor Market Develop in the Coming Years, and What Role Does Radar Play Compared to Other Sensor Technologies?
The automotive industry largely agrees: In the future, a typical vehicle will have about 6 to 8 radar sensors. This represents a massive increase in demand for radar technology. Currently, about 70% of new vehicles have a front radar, but only 40% are equipped with side radar sensors. These numbers will increase drastically as automation advances.
Based on annual vehicle production and sensor distribution, the market consensus is that the radar market will at least double within the next five years. I believe the growth will be even more significant, as the field of autonomy is gaining momentum again. The higher the level of automation, the more sensors are needed. This not only means a larger quantity but also continuous improvements in sensor technology.
How Do Recent Developments in Autonomous Driving Impact the Sensor Market, Particularly Radar Technology?
A game-changer for the industry is the progress in fully autonomous driving. Waymo, the leading company in this field, is already conducting 200,000 fully paid autonomous rides per week. In mid-March, a significant development occurred: Uber announced that it would offer the fully autonomous Waymo service in several U.S. cities. Uber handles approximately 110 million rides per week in North America alone. This is a massive step for the entire industry.
This means the market will explode. It provides the momentum that has been lacking in recent years. These developments will not only drive demand for sensors but also increase pressure to develop more powerful and robust sensor solutions.
The market for ADAS and radar is on the verge of a boom. The increasing implementation of autonomous driving functions will revolutionize it in the coming years. With a rapidly growing demand for radar—both in terms of quantity and technological advancement—we are on the brink of significant growth. Those investing in sensor technology today will benefit from immense market dynamics in the coming years.
