The Belgian thermoplastic honeycomb sandwich material supplier EconCore announced the establishment of partnerships with AZL (Aachen University of Technology Lightweight Alliance), Audi and other companies to jointly develop composite car battery casings. This eight-month collaborative project will evaluate the technical challenges, opportunities and benefits of using a variety of materials, including thermoplastic composites, to develop battery casings for electric vehicles.
The project is led by AZL, specializing in lightweight technology based on composite materials, and trying to promote innovation by sharing knowledge.
According to forecasts, the growth rate of the global electric vehicle battery housing market will exceed 13% in the next seven years. Industry member organizations believe that the battery shell is almost entirely made of aluminum or steel at this stage, and the use of lightweight composite materials in this field undoubtedly has great potential.
Tomasz Czarnecki, chief operating officer of EconCore, said: "EconCore honeycomb material has extensive experience in vehicle interior applications. Following the successful application of this technology in automotive interiors, we are convinced that the use of composite materials in battery housing has great potential. , EconCore is now actively cooperating with Audi and other industrial partners to explore opportunities for the application of thermoplastic honeycomb technology in this field."
The first phase of the project will focus on understanding potential opportunities and challenges. For the EconCore team, this means optimizing the honeycomb sandwich material to obtain the desired characteristics by selecting thermoplastic materials, combining different composite skin layers, and calculating different geometric design variables to obtain the desired characteristics and to cooperate with project partners shared.
Czarnecki added: “We believe that compared to alternatives to aluminum or steel, the use of honeycomb sandwich materials has greater potential advantages. This material is incredibly strong and at the same time very lightweight. From the automotive interior sector In the course of development, we have seen the advantages of thermoplastic honeycomb technology, which can simultaneously reduce material and process costs."
If the first phase goes well, the project will enter the prototype development phase.