[Automotive Materials Network] So far, battery casings are mainly made of aluminum materials. AZL Aachen, Germany, together with a total of 46 industrial partners, has developed various plastic-based multi-material solutions for battery housings for electric vehicles, making it possible to achieve a reduction in weight (up to 36%) and manufacturing costs (up to 20%) Huge savings potential. The latest project to develop and implement a prototype is planned for mid-2022.

In this project, based on a market analysis of 44 existing series components and concepts, as well as an overview of various standards and requirements at the national, international and OEM level, five parts are defined for battery enclosures: enclosure trays, floor protection panels , crash frame, crossbar and housing cover. The requirement for a multi-material solution is to achieve at least equivalent mechanical property values. For example, there should be at least the same stiffness, safety against lateral impact, EMI shielding, and flame protection.

"The battery housing is a key component for electric vehicles," said Dr. Meyer, Project Management Tutor at Audi AG's Technical Development Department. In the joint project, AZL comprehensively investigated the stringent requirements and discussed how plastic-based multi-material solutions can be compared by The status quo solution made of metal to save weight and cost came up with a solution."

Two other important core issues arose during the course of the project. Floor impact protection and fire protection. These two aspects will be dealt with separately in follow-up projects - which have already started on January 26, 2022.

Subsequent Item 1 involved application-related test methods and investigation of the safety of different material combinations for impact protection of floors, while Subsequent Item 2 focused on the flame retardancy of different materials and material combinations. The aim is to develop test methods to investigate impact/fire resistance at the material level, taking into account the specific requirements of battery enclosures compared to standard materials.

"In addition to the individual development projects, two follow-up activities in the form of jointly funded joint partnership projects start on January 26, 2022, and we also invite new companies to participate in this event," said Sieffer, project manager at AZL Aachen. By."