ELECTRICVEHICLES

Automotive chassis components lighten up with composites

Composite and hybrid components reduce mass, increase functionality on electric and conventional passenger vehicles.

Peggy Malnati
Contributing Writer

Mass Transit

Bio-inspired EV underbody panel developed by TPI Composites, Helicoid Industries

Composite underbody panel for battery pack protection, made of stacked multiaxial noncrimp fabric, will serve high-volume commercial and automotive markets.

Epoxies

Sumitomo Bakelite Europe conference highlights importance of composites for electric mobility

Composites for Future Mobility Conference attracts more than 50 delegates from OEMs, Tier suppliers and research institutions which are finding numerous composite opportunities in electric motors, UAM.

Electric vehicle analysis ranks most-ready hubs for EV adoption

StorageCafe examines 100+ U.S. metropolitan areas and ranks the top 10 by number of EVs, public chargers, electricity cost, infrastructure challenges, clean energy, EV insurance costs, local incentives and more.

Glass Fibers

Solvay features Xydar polymer for high-heat EV battery module insulation

Xydar LCP G-330 HH is a new glass-filled liquid crystal polymer grade designed to increase passengers’ safety in the event of battery thermal runaway.

Automotive

BMW Group to bring iX5 Hydrogen pilot fleet into service in 2023

A fleet of under 100 vehicles, featuring BMW fuel cell technology and 700-bar CFRP storage tanks, will be deployed for international demonstration and trial purposes.

Aerospace

SPE ACCE calls for papers, sponsors and exhibitors for 2023 event

The theme for the Sept. 6-8 event highlights the roles composites have in EV auto and air mobility, highlighted in the form of technical sessions, panel discussions, keynotes and exhibits.

Automotive

Seat frame demonstrates next-generation autocomposites design

Light weight, simplified/cost-effective manufacturing, passenger comfort and safety informed materials and process innovations and won awards for the 2022 Toyota Tundra‘s second-row seat frame.

Hannah Mason
Technical Editor, CompositesWorld

Mass Transit

Carbon Revolution to list in U.S. via business combination with Twin Ridge Capital Acquisition Corp.

Following the transaction, the Australian carbon fiber wheel supplier and manufacturer will be well positioned for rapid growth and adoption into additional automotive programs.

Glass Fibers

Helicoid Industries releases three use cases of Helicoid technology

Use case applications with Helicoid technology implementation demonstrated mechanical performance improvements, such as impact resistance and strength.

Thermoplastics

Battery enclosure demonstrator testing proves EV feasibility, launches series production projects

Kautex Textron and Lanxess jointly developed and tested a PA6 technology demonstrator, reinforced with locally placed continuous fiber blanks, which passed all important mechanical, thermal tests.

Glass Fibers

OSCiAl, Genius graphene nanotubes advance EV battery pack properties

Addition of graphene nanotubes to fiberglass-filled polyphenylene sulfide solution make it possible to preserve high thermal and chemical resistance together with stable electrical conductivity.

Mass Transit

Voith H2 storage tanks made with in-house towpreg winding

Plug & Drive H2 storage system displayed at IAA Transportation 2022 uses 700-bar tanks for heavy-duty commercial and construction vehicles.

Fiber-reinforced Pocan E compounds range highlights tracking resistance, insulation

Rating in the highest insulation class, the short glass fiber-reinforced PBT range from Lanxess is especially suited to compact electrical and electronic assemblies, and EVs.

Automotive

The state of recycled carbon fiber

As the need for carbon fiber rises, can recycling fill the gap?

Scott Francis
Contributing Editor, CompositesWorld

Automotive

Plastic Omnium builds U.S. capacity to supply Ford trucks with high-pressure hydrogen vessels

At its Michigan facility, the company will provide Type IV high-pressure hydrogen vessels to equip Ford’s fleet of hydrogen fuel cell EV truck prototypes.

Automotive

AZL opens new project in cell-to-pack composite battery enclosures

AZL specialists are to kick off new project consortium Oct. 27, 2022 geared toward developing new battery enclosure concepts for cell-to-pack technology. Interested companies can still apply for participation.

Design/Simulation

Protecting EV motors more efficiently

Motors for electric vehicles are expected to benefit from Trelleborg’s thermoplastic composite rotor sleeve design, which advances materials and processes to produce a lightweight, energy-efficient component.

Mass, cost, durability improvements: EV battery enclosures, Part 2

As interest grows in composite battery covers and trays, composite materials suppliers work to meet current and future needs of automakers, battery module producers.

Ebusco leases Renault Cléon production site, fuels future electric bus capacity

New 21,000-square-meter French headquarters and production facility will facilitate production of 500 composite buses/year starting in 2024 with room for later growth.

Mass Transit

Opportunities and challenges for composites in electric vehicles

Polymer and material specialists at chemical consulting firm ChemBizR reflect on the role of composites in current and future efforts to make electric vehicles more efficient — and more attractive for consumers.

Compression Molding

UniFORM: High-quality, high-complex EV battery enclosures at low cycle times, low tooling costs

Stellantis subsidiary CpK Interior Products Inc. recently completed a design challenge to prove out its vacuum-assisted wet compression molding process for CFRP battery trays.

Hannah Mason
Technical Editor, CompositesWorld

STRUCTeam presentation explores advances in multi-material battery enclosures

Roman Hillermeier, transportation market sector lead, addressed latest battery enclosure developments, identified key design enablers at the Battery Systems in Car Body Engineering Conference in June.

Carbon Fibers

CAMX 2022 exhibit preview: SGL Carbon

SGL Carbon showcases its entire product portfolio, from carbon and oxidized fibers as well as textile semi-finished products to finished composite components for various industrial and automotive applications.

Daimler Truck battery-electric eActros moves into endurance testing phase

The 40-ton eTruck has been approved as a truck-and-trailer combination, continues extensive years-long testing project and subsequent concept comparison.

U.S. DOE presents $96 million to advance clean vehicle technologies

Funding will focus on expanding EV charging accessibility, creating clean non-road vehicles and advancing new materials and electric drive systems all to ultimately cut carbon emissions.

Consumer

Loop Energy to deliver additional fuel cell systems for hydrogen-electric city bus platform

The order from Mobility & Innovation Production, known for its composite zero-emissions bus platform, advances Loop Energy to the commercial scaleup phase.

Injection/Overmolding

Price, performance, protection: EV battery enclosures, Part 1

Composite technologies are growing in use as suppliers continue efforts to meet more demanding requirements for EV battery enclosures.

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