Less CO2 emissions through the use of natural and lightweight materials, propulsion technologies, energy storage and smart mobility. With these themes, the Dutch automotive industry is putting itself in the spotlight today during Technology for Automotive 2021 in the Mikrocentrum in Veldhoven. The place where the industry shows why they are the driving force behind important innovations in mobility. During the event, organized by RAI Automotive Industry NL and the Mikrocentrum, suppliers demonstrate their added value and commitment to the development of high-quality technologies.
The Automotive sector is the main driving force behind innovations in road transport. Developments in the field of sustainability, road safety and connectivity largely come from investments by this industry. The entire European automotive industry annually invests more than 60 billion euros in research and development, making it the largest investor in R&D in Europe.
While Technology for Automotive RAI Automotive Industry NL puts the Netherlands on the map as a high-tech country in the car and truck industry. Central to this is how the industry manages to excel in times of great challenges through innovation and cooperation and makes an important contribution to, among other things, achieving the climate goals and digitization ambition.
Completion program
The event consists of a plenary program led by Carlo van de Weijer with various high-profile speakers such as professional racing driver Jan Lammers, founder of Donkervoort Automobielen Joop Donkervoort, Timo Möller head of the 'Future Mobility' department at consultancy firm McKinsey and Joris Fokkelman of Vitesco Technologies. He talks about electric mobility. Naturally, various other companies from the automotive industry will also come to speak about technological developments in the field of material use and electrification, among other things.
In addition to the plenary part, visitors to the exhibition can also experience directly on the exhibition floor which promising technologies and applications will be developed in 2021 and offer solutions for the social and economic challenges of our time.
Dutch Automotive industry
The Dutch automotive manufacturing industry in the Netherlands produces approximately 20 billion euros worth of products and services that are (indirectly) used in the car and truck industry. The sector provides employment to about 55.000 people in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is therefore an important player in the development and production of technology and parts for car and truck manufacturers. The Netherlands even takes first place in the Automotive Disruption Radar of consultancy firm Roland Berger. Not only hardware but also software from the Netherlands is therefore increasingly found in modern cars or trucks. But some of the products are also more often sold outside the automotive market, making these companies less sensitive to fluctuations in car and truck sales. The supply market is still growing and is now an indispensable pillar in our economy, according to the Royal RAI Association.
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