Automotive Megatrends Driving Plastics Innovations Forward

Last update on Sep 12, 2022

Just like the entire automotive industry, the role of plastics has dramatically changed over the last few years. Metal to plastic part replacement remains the ultimate goal for global resin and compound suppliers.

Simultaneously, automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMS) are pivoting to emphasize electric vehicle (EV) efficiency over traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. EV propulsion systems are less mechanically complex versus ICE vehicles. For example, EVs have no fuel lines, gasoline tanks, exhaust components, clutches, gearboxes, pistons or spark plugs. Nevertheless, EVs have a lot of excess weight primarily due to multiple lithium-ion battery arrays. Thus, future EVs have a major need to shed weight to effectively compete against ICE vehicles on operational running costs, and not merely providing lower emissions.

Taking it one step further, EV battery recycling schemes still need to be established, along with entirely new vehicle safety protocols.

Automotive Glazing

Take for example, automotive glazing in the emerging EV market. Glass has long dominated in automotive glazing because it is low cost for simple, curved windshield, and rear windows. Recently, SABIC design studies have promoted Polycarbonate (PC) use in reimagined EV design. PC engineered plastics are potentially lighter and safer than glass. By using PC, designers can create a range of curved surfaces, sharp angles, and other shapes unattainable in glass. A good application example here are wraparound curved windows and related autobody structures that seamlessly flow into one another, simultaneously integrating lighting, door latches, vertical pillars, and even sunroof openings. A complex series of curvatures are required here, eliminating traditional glass use. PC design approaches can enhance aerodynamics, increasing, for example, ICE vehicle fuel economy, as well as EV battery efficiency, and range. Not incidentally, this type of design will create highly streamlined, increased curb appeal vehicles for consumers.

SABIC's PC Design Offers Differentiated Styling, Component Consolidation, Function Integration, and Enhanced Aerodynamics

Moving forward, the automotive market is on the move again and plastics manufacturers and compound developers are innovating to meet the many challenges presented by the move to EVs. The EV trend along with continual plastic material advances, particularly with regard to recycled and sustainable variants, in ICE vehicles are evolving with the digitally connected car of the future. The automotive market is undergoing not only a renaissance, but a commercial reinvention, not seen since the start of the early 1900s car era. For example, with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and infotainment trends, car interiors are rapidly changing. Current bulky dashboards are giving way to more aesthetically pleasing minimalist surfaces.

Automotive Megatrends are Spurring the Need for Plastics

Let's now turn our attention to reviewing five automotive plastic material innovations.

LANXESS Polyamide (PA, Nylon) 6 Electrical Compounds

To start with, LANXESS has developed specialty Polyamide (PA, Nylon) 6 electrical compounds for EV charging plug inlets that have high insulation resistance, dielectric strength, arc tracking resistance, flame retardance, crack resistance after aging, and mechanical toughness that dramatically minimizes bumps or vandalism. These PA6 compounds include weather resistant grades for housings, and low warpage, dimensionally stable grades for cable connector ports. Of particular note are new mechanically tough, Underwriters Labs (UL) 94 V-0 flame rated, thermally conductive PA6 compounds for EV charging plug inlet pin holders that continually absorb heavy thermal loads. The two primary, thermally conductive LANXESS PA6 grades include Durethan® TP430-004 and Durethan® TP430-003. Both these grades exhibit excellent stress strain characteristics, good process flowability, and low injection molding tool wear.

Laxness Thermally Conductive PA6 EV Charging Plug Inlet Pin Holder

LANXESS Thermally Conductive PA6 EV Charging Plug Inlet Pin Holder (Brown, R)

BASF Glass Fiber Reinforced Ultradur PBT

Next, BASF's Ultradur® B 4300 G4, a glass fiber-reinforced Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT) is being used by MD Elektronik for a new connector system named C-KLIC that is based on the USB Type-C standard and designed to provide faster data transmission in automotive electronic devices. This system enables space saving of up to 60% compared to standard USB ports, and provides a data transfer rate of greater than 10 GB/s (Giga Bytes per second), as well as a direct USB power delivery option if required. New car interiors are being transformation into mobile offices and living rooms. Instrument panels are starting to come with video conferencing and entertainment screens. No wonder car designers envision an autonomous driving future for us. Interior systems like this will require multifaceted electronic devices with ever higher data transmission rates, that will also need to be weight reduced and fitted into smaller spaces. MD Elektronik's C-KLIC applications using BASF's Ultradur® B 4300 G4 PBT include Connector Position Assurance (CPA) elements and coding housings. Ultradur PBT possesses excellent electrical properties, dimensional stability, and moisture resistance, and this versatility allows MD Elektronik to use a single material system across all their connector parts, in turn minimizing injection molded material changeovers and maximizing sustainability.

BASF Glass Fiber Reinforced Ultradur PBT for MD Elektronik's High Speed EV Data Connector

Know more about 100+ Ultradur products by BASF >>>

Evonik's Halogen Free Flame Retardant (HFFR) or Polyamide (PA, Nylon) 12 Compounds

Continuing, Evonik's Halogen Free Flame Retardant (HFFR) Vestamid® LX9050 or Polyamide (PA, Nylon) 12 compound grade is being specified as an extrusion coating for copper and aluminum busbars used to carry electric current in high voltage EV batteries. It has been certified with an Underwriters Lab (UL) 94 V-0 classification in accord with the International Electric Code (IEC) 60754 regulation.

Busbar compounds are:

RAL2003 orange colored to indicate high voltage components;
are useable in operating temperatures to 125°C.

RAL is a European color matching system, a German abbreviation of Reichs-Ausschuß für Lieferbedingungen und Gütesicherung, administrated by the RAL Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung und Kennzeichnung. Vestamid® LX9050 or PA12 compound can coextrusion coat aluminum or copper busbar profiles from 30--150 mm² (millimeter square), at a coating thickness of 0.5--0.7 mm (millimeter), at high coating speeds, and that in turn provides electrical breakdown resistance to 1,000 V (Volts). Also, no adhesion promoters are required on metal busbar surface prior to extrusion coating. This LANXESS PA 12 compound exhibits high elasticity making busbar profile curve shaping or bending after extrusion coating doable without losing electrical insulation performance.

Evonik's HFFR Vestamid® PA 12 Compound Protects Busbars in High-Voltage Batteries

SABIC Polyphenylene Ether Polystyrene (PPE/PS) Copolymer Compounds
Delving further, SABIC's Noryl™ NHP6011 and NHP6012 Polyphenylene Ether Polystyrene (PPE/PS) copolymer compounds have been developed to address the need for more crash resistant, thinner, and lighter EV battery housings. In this way, higher battery cell density can fit into a battery enclosure more safely extending EV driving range, that in turn helps to more fully attain the sustainability benefits of e-mobility. These Noryl grades are glass fiber reinforced for stiffness in battery thin walls and overall enclosure dimensional stability.

Furthermore, these highly impact resistant grades stiffnesse's impact tailored depending on Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) specified battery wall thickness. These Noryl compounds meet, now standardized, and highest rated Underwriters Labs (UL) 94 V-0 flame retardancy at 1.5 mm (millimeter) wall thickness, using non-chlorinated and/or non-brominated additive systems. These strict EV flame retardancy requirements are driven by the continual and ever-growing safety need to protect EV car passengers from damaged lithium-ion batteries. Most likely battery damage will arise in a crash situation, or in normal product durability time limits still to be defined through actual future consumer use and automotive industry data collection and analysis.

Finally, as in all current electrical/electronic devices, and EV battery component manufacturing is no exception, there is the constant need for product design miniaturization. This is where EV battery manufacturers are continually trying to fit more battery cells into smaller spaces within a battery enclosure, that translates into increasing EV horsepower and driving range. Here these specialty Noryl PPE/PS copolymer compound grades provide:

High melt flow into injection molded thin wall sections.
Good dielectric performance with a comparative tracking index (CTI) of 2 that helps avoid electrical shorting in tightly packed battery cells.
Very acceptable chemical resistance to leaked battery acids.
Overall excellent moisture resistance for overall safety purposes.

SABIC Noryl Resin for EV Battery Housings

SABIC Noryl NHP6011 and NHP6012 PPE/PS Resins for EV Battery Housings

Covestro’s Makrolon RE Polycarbonate (PC) Compounds

Let's conclude with Covestro's Makrolon RE Polycarbonate (PC) that is being specified by Netherlands based EV Box Group in their EV charging station housings and related infrastructure. Charging stations are a key area of EV market sector development, where high speed electrical charging will place heavy demands on plastics.

Critical charging station housing requirements include:

mechanical toughness and impact resistance;
weatherability;
electrical insulation;
light weightness;
mass production capability;
design freedom.

Traditional Covestro PC compound grades can serve all these performance needs. Taking it one step further, Covestro has introduced their Makrolon RE PC, which is now ISCC Plus certified (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification). This means Makrolon RE PC is being made in part from renewably sourced hydrocarbon feedstocks, making the transition from purely fossil-based systems to renewable material alternatives, as measured from mass balanced recycled biowaste and residues. In turn, these ISCC certified PCs can be formulated into the normal PC compounds with all the accompanying standard PC properties for EV charger housings.

As a result of Covestro's ten-year development partnership with the EVBox Group there are highly robust, renewably sourced Makrolon RE PC base resins and resin blends going into charging station housings. In this way, Covestro and the EVBox Group are envisioning the entire charging station life cycle starting with the basic product design and development. Here circular plastic materials are source materials, modular plastic design facilitates ease of repair or replacement, and finally and equally important the remanufacturing of entire plastic charging stations and related infrastructure components. Finally, Covestro's Makrolon RE PC permits significant and sustainable CO₂ emission savings.

Covestro's Makrolon RE PC for EVBox Group Charging Station Housings (orange)