COMPOUNDS FOR EVs | AUTOMOTIVE
Plastics charge ahead in EVs
Plastic compounds are being increasingly specified for all areas of electric vehicles and battery modules could be next. Mark Holmes reports
As e-mobility gathers pace and electric vehicles (EVs) become ever more visible on the world’s roads, the role that plastic compounds play in their development continues to expand. Plastics are not only spearheading lightweighting moves — neces- sary across all powertrains — but they are now meeting critical new performance requirements needed to accelerate their deployment in EVs. Applications today range from structural compo- nents and body panels through to innovative dashboards and radar sensors, with the increased use of plastic compounds in the most crucial element of an EV – the battery – on the horizon. SABIC describes the current market for plastic compounds for EVs as exciting, growing and a great opportunity. “The application area of greatest interest is the heart of these vehicles – the battery,” says Venkatakrishnan Umamaheswaran, Global Marketing Director of SABIC’s Automotive busi- ness. “This is one of the heaviest and most expen- sive modules on the vehicle. Battery technology has evolved and will continue to do so as OEMs and battery manufacturers strive to optimise battery designs to improve performance. “For current vehicle batteries, thermoplastic compounds are being used exclusively in battery
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cell separators, cell packaging materials and cylindrical cell carriers. Steel and aluminium are the incumbent materials for 48V battery modules and larger battery pack enclosures, for example trays and covers for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The exciting part is that the industry is at a transition point and striving to optimise EV battery technolo- gies and related EV applications,” he says. Thermoplastic compounds are now in the initial
stages of adoption for energy storage applications for all types of EVs, including mild hybrid EVs, EV hybrids, plug-in hybrids and BEVs, according to Umamaheswaran . “Already, one of our materials, a flame retardant polypropylene compound, is in use today on the battery pack cover of a plug-in hybrid model in China. Based on programmes underway now, we expect to see several large-sized battery enclosures moulded with our thermoplastics on production EVs as early as 2024.” However, opportunities for thermoplastic compounds are not only emerging in batteries. “One trend we are actively engaged in addressing is changing the front end of vehicles as they shift to electric,” says Umamaheswaran. “Automakers no longer need a grille opening for ventilation, but they do need a design that can allow for the
Main image: Lightweight materials such as second generation Fibremod Carbon PP grades from Borealis are finding application in EV structural parts and panels
April 2021 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 71
IMAGE: BOREALIS
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