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Polymer considerations for EV

Lightweight with higher temperature resistance, thermoplastics are ideal for e-mobility powertrains, Nick Flaherty reports The push to make e-mobility designs lighter to boost range is driving significant innovation in materials. Thermoplastics are being redesigned to provide various combinations of temperature and flowability for manufacturing and plating capabilities.

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Battery inspection for EV manufacturing

Getting inside a battery to check its integrity or to trace a fault in a non-destructive manner is technologically challenging, as Peter Donaldson explains Mass producing large capacity lithium-ion batteries to meet the anticipated demand for EVs while ensuring that they are as safe, dependable and long-lived as possible is driving the need for faster, more thorough and more reliable inspection systems.

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Phase change materials

Phase change materials offer intriguing possibilities in the thermal management of EV powertrains as Nick Flaherty explains Phase-change materials (PCMs) are known for their superior latent heat capacity, acting as heat absorbers without notable

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Motor control

Nick Flaherty explains the various ways to create the perfect sine wave to maximise the efficiency of electric motor control Improving the efficiency of e-mobility motor control is a key focus for developers. Design technologies to squeeze the last microamp out of the battery can boost the range of EVs significantly,

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Axial flux motors

Peter Donaldson canvasses expert opinions on the decisions to be made on whether to choose an axial flux motor for a given application Axial flux (AF) motors are attracting a great deal of attention and engineering effort in the e-mobility arena, and for good reasons. Different motor topologies – such as radial and axial flux – are...

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Busbars and interconnects

Large EV battery packs can contain thousands of cells that have to be connected to form modules and packs, then connected via busbars to other driveline components such as inverters and DC-DC converters to make robust and reliable connections quickly and efficiently in confined spaces while keeping costs down. That has made...

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Battery surface analysis

Nick Flaherty explains how techniques for analysing the surface of battery materials are leading to better cell designs Materials analysis is essential in developing new battery components and ensuring they meet high standards of quality. Thermal analysis plays an important part in raw material characterisation, especially for thermal runway issues.

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Fuses and circuit protection

Nick Flaherty reports on how new circuit protection technologies are meeting the challenges posed by increasingly powerful EVs The EV market these days is seeing demand and development towards decreasing charging times, increased range requirements and a wider variety of vehicle models. All of this heightens...

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Adhesives

Increasingly important in multiple applications in vehicles of all kinds, adhesives are central to the assembly of batteries, power electronics and motors used in EVs. Current development efforts are focused in areas such as ease of use in volume manufacturing as the EV industry gears up for mass...

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Battery case materials

The range of materials for developing EV battery cases is growing, and are addressing issues of weight, assembly and even condensation. Glass fibre and composites are opening up design options from modular systems to complete cases, while other materials are helping to improve the properties of the cases, from thermal and electrical