E/E ARCHITECTURE AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT Due to different effects, the E/E architecture in the truck is always changing and becoming more complex. Thus, the amount of connection points at the ECU, sensors, and actuators will rise and the requirements for the harness and some of its components will increase. At all of these parts, leak-tight electrical pass-through solutions are necessary. It is difficult to say which change has the biggest effect: the E/E architecture or the requirements. For a more detailed, cross-sectional view, the truck is split into a chassis section and a powertrain section. (see fig. 1) At the chassis we often have most of the ECUs in the cabin, as this is a protected area. The increasing number of sensors and actuators makes the main harness bundle bigger and requires more space for the ECUs. Eventually, the main harness is too big to handle and must be guided through the fire wall and into the cabin while remaining leak-tight. The remaining space in the cabin is not sufficient for all ECUs, hence the trend is to move the ECUs into the chassis area with an increase of requirements for temperature, chemical resistance, and leak-tightness for the ECUs and their connections.But what is the reason for bigger harnesses? Besides the basic electrical functions such as the lights or the horn, there are now established functions like the ABS/EBS (electronic brake system), air suspension, or assistant systems such as electronic stability control or ACC (adaptive cruise control) (see fig. 2). Also, brake- or steer-by-wire is another emerging technology that could become a factor. New electrical connections are necessary for all the functions listed above. As these new functions are safety related, a very high reliability is a must. We see that the change of the E/E architecture at the chassis will require more and improved solutions for passing the current into the E/E components free from outside influence. At the powertrain, the biggest driver for change can be easily identified: the legislation for emission reduction. Despite different standards in Europe and USA, both are heading the same direction towards intensive reduction of air pollution. EPA′07 reduced NOx emissions by 50 percent, and reduced particulate matter by 90 percent. EPA′10 requires NOx reduction of 99 percent, and the next level EPA′13 will go a step further. Technologies such as electronic fuel system, EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation), VGT (Variable Geometry Turbocharging), DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) and SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction with diesel exhaust 2012-01-0923 Published 04/16/2012 Copyright © 2012 SAE International doi:10.4271/2012-01-0923 saecomveh.saejournals.org Leak-Tight Cable Pass-Through into Hostile Environment (Oil, Temperature, Vibration) Such as Inside Engine or Gear Box Daniel G. Reiter Leoni ABSTRACT In recent years, more and more electric components like sensors or actuators are being positioned in hostile environments like those of commercial trucks. Next to the underbody area there are additional application zones such as the braking, the interior of the engine, or the gear box. Often the connection of the electric components to the wiring harness is created by an expensive header connector; usually it is placed at the interface point between the adverse area and the standard environment, or within the adverse area itself. An alternative solution is to guide the leads through by using an overmolded and leak-tight pass-through. This has many advantages, but requires a high level of knowledge of the behavior and interaction of all involved materials. New developments often indicate increasing operation temperatures in combination with advanced aggressive media such as engine or gear box oil, Adblue®, or break fluid. At the design state many influences and material property changes in usage have to be taken into account to generate a feasible solution. The advantages and limitations of this technology will be discus