New age thermoplastics for next-generation EV batteries

Saudi-based global materials major SABIChas developed cutting edgein fire-resistant polymers and flame-retardant materials that comply with various EV battery safety standards across the world.

It's no secret that lightweight solutions are very much in demand in the automotive ecosystem these days where the key focus area is to replace metallic structural components with thermoplastic solutions. This aspect is mostly applicable in ICE vehicles, but the ball game becomes significantly different when it comes to serving the needs for electric vehicles.

As there's a big push for cleaner vehicles, electric vehicles (EVS) are becoming the 'chosen ones' to do the job. In fact, EVs is now a growing and profitable business for many automakers including legacy players and start-ups in various categories like two-wheelers, three-wheelers, passenger cars, buses, last mile commercial vehicles among others. The list of players is increasing each day and there have been several commitments by ICE players who will transform their entire business into EVs in a couple of years, While the EV value chain is attractive, and many in the business consider it as work in progress because there are still developments happening in battery chemistries (to make batteries lighter, increase driving range on a single charge, fast charging capabilities among other parameters) and most of all battery management and thermal protection of cells in cases of malfunctions.

This means improvements to the heart of these new electric vehicles - the battery pack, is a deemed area of importance that cannot be ignored.

In the past, there has been several instances of battery packs electric vehicles self-igniting due to malfunctioning battery systems or poor-quality products.

The business of EV batteries is also bringing in its own set of technical challenges. Over the last decade or so, industry estimates suggest that average electric vehicle battery range has increased more than fourfold.