Materials

In Conversation

Allan Paterson

Britishvolt’s head of r&d tells Rory Jackson how his experience in battery cell technology has led to him being involved in setting up the UK’s first gigafactory In high-tech industries such as the EV

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Making the cases for battery transport

As the EV industry grows, the logistics of moving major components – particularly batteries – between facilities has to be closely considered, argues Olivier Saada, business development manager for containers at battery transport packaging specialist Corplex (writes Peter Donaldson). EV batteries are considered dangerous goods and fragile items, and the company makes cases that are […]

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Meeting the challenges of developing e-VTOL air taxis

AutoFlight’s Prosperity I, a Chinese-designed e-VTOL air taxi sized to accommodate a pilot and three passengers, is intended to meet the rigorous safety standards that apply to transport-category aircraft including the largest airliners, and the company is aiming for certification and service entry in 2025 (writes Peter Donaldson). Invited by electric aviation pioneer and AutoFlight’s […]

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A case of plastic over aluminium

Containing thermal runaway, protecting EV occupants from fire and saving weight are all drivers for the application of new materials to batteries, and the battery case is a prime target for replacing aluminium alloy with plastics (writes Peter Donaldson). Multi-industry plastics specialist SABIC has recently re-engineered existing EV battery cases in two proof-of-concept exercises that […]

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Motor laminations

Peter Donaldson reports on how lamination technology has evolved in recent times to meet changing demands from the EV industry Whether or not governments eventually ban the manufacture of

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New chapter in the story of cork

Finding a material with several applications in state-of-the-art EV powertrains that literally grows on trees might seem unlikely, but that is exactly what Portuguese company Amorim Cork Composites is offering with cork (writes Peter Donaldson). The raw material is the bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber), which in addition to its best-known application […]

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Motor wire is ‘green’

Tau has started shipping prototype environmentally friendly winding wire to the automotive industry. The wire combines minimised partial discharge, high fill factors and improved temperature resistance for high-voltage and frequency optimisation for electric motors.

New Products

Mercedes-Benz announces long-range EV

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its Vision EQXX concept EV, which has a range of more than 1000 km on a single battery charge, equating to a consumption of less than 10 kWh of energy per 100 km.

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Ricardo shows Steel E-Motive Level 5 concept EVs

Keen to show off what the latest generation of advanced high-strength steels can do, WorldAutoSteel, the automotive arm of the World Steel Association, has chosen Ricardo to design an EV family that could be offered in the nascent market for mobility as a service from around 2030 (writes Peter Donaldson). The first two designs created under this Steel E-Motive (SEM) initiative were revealed at the recent Battery Show Europe and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo in Stuttgart, where WorldAutoSteel’s technical director George Coates and Ricardo’s chief engineer for vehicle attributes Neil McGregor outlined the progress with them so far.

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Matrix aimed at seal and EMI issues

The Electrically and Thermally Conductive and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Materials (ETEMI) project aims to enhance conventional elastomers, liquid silicon rubber and thermoplastics to address sealing and EMI issues at the same time in EVs. This is driving the development of a new class of electrically conductive sealing materials.