Trinseo Showcases EV Battery Solutions at Battery Show Europe
Trinseo has announced its lineup of EV Battery solutions that will be on display at The Battery Show Europe in Stuttgart, Germany. Two innovative technologies will be highlighted this year that focus on improving performance of the EV battery itself, along with a novel approach to physically protecting the battery pack.
The thermoplastic battery casing that will be showcased is produced using the Direct Long Fiber Thermoplastic (DLFT) molding process. This gives EV OEMs the option to move away from more expensive heavy rigid metal casings to high performance thermoplastic trays and covers, without compromising performance or protection. It also allows for shorter cycle times for high volume manufacturing, part toughness, along with structural flexibility and greater design freedom for complex part geometries. Lighter weight casing helps increase energy efficiency, and range in EVs as compared to metal casings. And using high performance thermoplastic offers increased design flexibility as compared to metal casing for innovative functional integration while providing electric insulation, heat insulation and fire resistance the industry demands.
Chief Technology Officer Han Hendriks said, “To us, the same principles of innovation, science, engineering, and design that define the external aesthetics of an electric vehicle, also apply to the internal components. In addition to the benefits of weight reduction, our thermoplastic casing material is available in grades containing recycled polycarbonate content produced by our in-house PC dissolution technology.”
Also on display is Trinseo’s VOLTABOND™ aqueous-based anode binder that binds the graphite and conductivity agent powder together and onto the foil current collector of a battery. VOLTABONDTM binders provide high peel strength, low DCIR and low re-bounce. In addition, its unique chemical structure enhances battery life by offering resistance to electrolyte dissolution.
“By improving electrical conductivity, structural integrity, cyclability, and energy density, with our VOLTABOND™ latex binders, we’re helping batteries last longer, charge faster, go farther and perform better,” added Hendriks. “At less than one percent of the battery’s weight, we can make a big impact on a number of performance characteristics that the industry is looking for.”
