In the current trend of the development of the automotive industry, the materials used by car companies face new challenges and bring new opportunities. The advent of electric mobility and autonomous driving technology will revolutionize the automotive industry and challenge currently established automotive concepts. Only through continuous innovation can the trends of emission reduction, electrification and autonomous driving become reality. The modern automotive industry has relied heavily on material solutions from the chemical industry. And, in the future, chemistry will play a greater role and make a significant contribution to solving the challenges of future mobility.
Safety first: BASF flame-retardant plastic
The key to the success of electric mobility is whether we can continuously optimize the performance, weight, safety, and especially efficiency of the electric drive system. We must use flame retardant plastic to save the weight and installation space required for high-voltage components. Special specifications of polyamide (PA) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) produced by BASF can be used as halogen-free flame retardant materials for high-voltage parts inside and outside the vehicle to meet relevant performance requirements The flammability, color stability, mechanical and electrical insulation properties meet the highest standards. In addition, the inherent insulation properties of these materials also help to improve vehicle safety. BASF has a portfolio of polyamide 6 and 66 specifications that provide safe and reliable microelectronic components for control equipment and sensors, helping to prevent electrical corrosion damage to circuits. The best-selling BASF Ultramid® EQ products (EQ means "electronic quality") are very pure and contain almost no electroactive or corrosive substances such as halides. In addition, the material also has excellent heat aging resistance.
Today's electronic drive systems still rely primarily on the metal industry to provide related products. To date, motor and power electronics manufacturers are still using housings made of steel or die-cast aluminum. Many components now have active cooling, eliminating the need to dissipate heat through the housing. Therefore, lightweight construction can consider the use of flame retardant Ultramid® A3U42G6 and B3U50G6 plastic solutions. Enclosures containing high-voltage electrical components must be electrically shielded to prevent damage to the surrounding area. BASF is committed to providing metal coating solutions for plastic housing components, which provide excellent shielding of magnetic fields. In addition, engineering plastics help to integrate various additional functions into components. In previous development projects in cooperation with customers, we found that compared to similar die-cast aluminum enclosures, plastic enclosures made using this process are lighter and more economical.
Sensors are essential for autonomous driving
In addition to electric mobility, highly automated driving will revolutionize future mobility. The interior of the driverless vehicle is the user's other bedroom. The vehicle will be equipped with a variety of sensors to ease users' driving tasks. BASF has used its unique portfolio of hydrolysis-resistant PBT specifications to make a significant contribution to a number of sensitive electronic sensor technologies.
However, with the continuous development of autonomous driving technology, we also need to equip cars with a series of new types of sensors such as radar, lidar, infrared and ultrasonic sensors. These sensors can not only provide functions such as lane assistance, collision warning and distance control, but also emergency braking assistance, which is a basic prerequisite for fully autonomous driving in the future. Only with plastics can such solutions be mass produced. BASF offers radar-optimized plastics for radar wave transmission and absorption, which can help improve the accuracy of radar sensors, thereby improving the functionality of autonomous vehicles at a more cost-effective rate.