COMPOUNDS FOR EVs | TECHNOLOGY
The switch to electric vehicles is accelerating and demand on plastics in terms of electrical performance is intensifying. Mark Holmes reports on some of the latest compound innovations
Preparing for the EV charge
Penetration of electric vehicles (EVs) in both the public and private transport sectors continues to grow steadily and forecasts are for further accelera- tion in the e-mobility trend. Development of high performance polymer compounds that meet the specific — and often very new — requirements of EV powertrains will be instrumental in this progression. Substitution of metals by plastics for weight
reduction and fuel economy reasons has been widespread in the automotive and transport sectors for many years. Weight reduction will also be essential in the further development of electric vehicle technology, compensating for the heavy battery packs and helping to extend vehicle range. However, plastics will also need to provide new performance characteristics in EV components, such as EMI shielding and radar absorption properties, electrical insulation, thermal conductiv- ity and flame retardancy, while maintaining proven performance in terms of impact strength and robustness. These requirements extend beyond EV electrical components to include batteries and electric charging infrastructure. The combination of EV electrification together
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with increasing on-board digitalisation brings more risk of interference, according to Witcom Engineer- ing Plastics. “There needs to be wider use of EMI shielding plastics in electric vehicles,” says Christine Van Bellingen, Business Development Manager, Conductive Compounds. “Witcom has developed a new generation of environmental-friendly, cost- effective EMI shielding compounds to fulfil new e-mobility targets for lighter, safe-to-use plastics housings with shielding effectiveness of 40-60 dB. “Although progressing more slowly, an addi- tional driver for plastic compounds is that metal replacement should also occur in batteries, where EMI shielding and thermal conductivity is required. However, this is a large market with many suppliers and competing technologies, such as composite- based materials,” she says. For more than 15 years, Witcom has been supplying radar absorption compounds used in ADAS radar sensors. “These are mainly used for blind spot detection and cross traffic alert, in the form of RF absorbers or brackets for example,” says Van Bellingen. “Their role is now extended to side impact protection and lane assistance.”
Main image: Electric vehicles, and the infrastruc- ture to support them, are placing new performance demands on plastics
� April 2022 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 29
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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