From Steering Wheel to Wheels: How Electric Power Steering is Changing the Driving Experience

As you effortlessly turn the steering wheel, navigating through the crowded streets of the city or smoothly changing lanes on the highway, a sophisticated mechatronic system is working quietly behind the scenes—this is Electric Power Steering (EPS). As a revolutionary advancement in automotive steering technology, EPS has gradually replaced traditional hydraulic power steering, becoming the standard configuration for modern vehicles, especially smart electric cars. Anhui Nuosheng Transmission Technology Co., Ltd., with more than a decade of experience in the core components of automotive steering, has become a trusted EPS technology partner for globally renowned automotive brands such as BYD, Geely, and Great Wall.

How Does EPS Work?

In the driving scenario, when you turn the steering wheel, the EPS system begins a precise collaboration:

• Perceiving Intentions: The precise torque sensor beneath the steering wheel acts as a sensitive “nerve ending,” capturing the force and direction applied to the steering wheel in real-time.
• Smart Decision-making: These torque signals, along with real-time vehicle speed signals from the vehicle’s CAN bus (the higher the speed, the lower the assist, ensuring stability at high speeds), are rapidly transmitted to the EPS’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU). The ECU, based on complex control algorithms, calculates the optimal level and direction of steering assist in milliseconds.
• Precise Execution: The ECU sends instructions to the power steering motor. The power generated by the motor is transmitted through an efficient, low-noise, and highly durable worm-and-worm gear mechanism, converting the rotational force into smooth steering assistance.
• Power Transmission: The assistance is reliably transmitted through key transmission components, such as the output shaft, steering shaft, spline shaft, or coupling shaft, to the vehicle’s steering rack or steering mechanism, assisting in the steering process.
• Real-time Feedback: The electric power steering system continuously monitors the driver’s operation and the vehicle’s status, dynamically adjusting the assist to ensure the steering feel remains light, precise, and the road feel clear.

The entire process is fast, quiet, and efficient, significantly reducing the driver’s burden, especially noticeable during low-speed maneuvers like parking. At the same time, EPS provides the precise steering execution needed for intelligent driving functions (such as automated parking and Lane Keeping Assistance, LKA).

“Green Steering” in the Era of Smart Driving

EPS is not just a tool for improving driving comfort; it is also a key interface for the future of intelligent driving and green transportation. Anhui Nuosheng continues to invest in technological innovation, with its high-precision, highly responsive core transmission components providing a solid technical foundation for more advanced autonomous driving systems, such as steer-by-wire (SBW). Moreover, compared to hydraulic power steering, EPS can significantly reduce energy consumption (about 3%-5% fuel savings), aligning with the energy efficiency goals of electric vehicles, making it an indispensable contributor to green transportation.

Anhui Nuosheng: Driving EPS Reliability and Performance with Core Component Strength

In the EPS field, Anhui Nuosheng focuses on the critical transmission and execution components in the aforementioned process:

• Worm-and-worm Gear: One of Nuosheng’s core products, whose manufacturing precision, material wear resistance (and meshing efficiency) directly determines the smoothness, noise levels, and lifespan of power assistance transmission. Its patented technology ensures long-term reliability.
• Output Shaft/Input Shaft/Spline Shaft/Steering Shaft/Coupling Shaft: These shaft components form the backbone of power transmission. Nuosheng ensures they have high strength, rigidity, and fatigue resistance through precise processing and strict heat treatment processes, allowing them to withstand complex and variable steering loads without loosening or abnormal noise, guaranteeing both driving safety and quality.
• System Integration Capability: As a manufacturer with an annual production capacity of 2 million steering system core components, Nuosheng not only manufactures individual components but also deeply understands the matching and collaborative roles of each component within the EPS system, offering high-adaptability solutions to clients.

Behind every effortless and precise steering action lies the relentless pursuit of precision manufacturing, material science, and system integration by Nuosheng Transmission Technology. Understanding the working principle of EPS clearly shows us that those precise worm gears, sturdy output shafts, and reliable splines are not just cold, metallic parts but are crucial building blocks that enhance driving safety, comfort, and pave the way for a smart future. With its profound technical expertise and reliable product quality, Nuosheng continues to provide powerful “core driving forces” for steering innovations in the automotive industry, both in China and globally.