Chip companies set to drive hybrid vehicle opportunities

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John Walko - EE Times Europe - http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212201913&cid=NL_eet

LONDON — The semiconductor market supplying hybrid powertrains will increase rapidly from $384 million this year to $1.3 billion in 2015, mainly in power devices but also in analog microcontrollers and sensors, according to Strategy Analytics' automotive electronics group.
The market researchers suggest annual growth of full and mild hybrid powertrains will be 38 percent between 2007 and 2012. The more cost effective mild hybrid solution will see faster growth —, 79 percent — mainly from Honda and European OEMs, although market leader Toyota will have a head start.

However Kevin Mak, Automotive Electronics Analyst at Strategy Analytics (Milton Keynes, England), cautioned the higher cost to consumers and the limitations imposed by current battery technology will for a while hold back hybrid deployment.

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