Material Solutions for Electromobility
Electromobility combines high drivetrain efficiency with the ability to utilize renewable energy directly. For vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, the performance, cost-effectiveness and reliability of the components used are key considerations.
Electric drive systems and battery technologies place specific demands on sealing solutions and insulation materials. Frenzelit develops and manufactures customized components for battery systems, decoupling solutions and thermal management applications, tailored to the thermal, electrical and mechanical requirements of each individual application.
HV and Power Electronics: Safety Even in the Event of a Crash
High-performance batteries in modern electric vehicles place increasingly demanding requirements on electronic systems, as high voltages can present significant risks in the event of a failure.
To address these challenges, Frenzelit develops highly customized burst protection and contact protection solutions for HV and power electronics components, including textile protective sheaths. Manufactured from high-strength, coated aramid, these protective sheaths combine burst protection and contact protection with outstanding mechanical strength and electrical insulation.
Each solution is engineered to match the specific component, available installation space, and the applicable safety and regulatory requirements of the respective vehicle application, helping to enhance protection for both vehicle occupants and emergency responders.
Enhanced Safety for HV Battery Packs
Modern high-performance battery packs may contain up to 7,000 battery cells that store the electrical energy required for vehicle propulsion. If a malfunction causes thermal runaway within a single cell, it is essential to prevent, or at least delay, the propagation of the event to adjacent cells and surrounding components.
To address this challenge, we have developed ultra-thin high-temperature insulation materials and thermal barriers that can help delay thermal propagation and protect neighboring components from extreme temperatures by supporting the controlled management of heat and gases.
Particularly where installation space is limited, achieving maximum thermal protection with minimal material thickness is a critical requirement.
Sealing Performance and Thermal Management: The E-Mobility Challenge
Inverters, electronic control units and battery systems must be reliably protected against moisture, dust and other environmental influences throughout their service life.
At the same time, increasing performance requirements place growing demands on thermal management.
Achieving reliable long-term performance depends on the right combination of sealing materials, housing design, temperature resistance and available installation space. Frenzelit develops customized sealing solutions tailored to the specific application as well as its thermal and mechanical requirements.
Galvanic Decoupling: Preventing Corrosion
Aluminum, steel, copper and other materials are often used in close proximity within modern battery systems and power electronics applications. Under unfavorable conditions, this can lead to galvanic corrosion, potentially impacting component durability and long-term reliability.
Specialized insulation and separation materials from Frenzelit help electrically isolate critical material pairings and prevent unwanted electrochemical reactions.
novaform® gasket rings prevent corrosion
As the development partner, Frenzelit discovered the ideal fiber mixture, form and delivery method suitable for the customer’s assembly process.
Electrical insulation – safety through impact protection
The sheathing of live components in crash-susceptible areas prevents passengers from coming into contact with live parts in the event of accidents. One proven material is aramid, which Frenzelit uses to produce custom-fit protective sheaths.
Practical experience Protective sheath in the Audi e-tron
Frenzelit developed the thermoREFLEX® textile aramid protective sheath for the DC-/DC converter in the electric SUV Audi e-tron.
Decoupling
Even though, in comparison to combustion engines, electric vehicles are more simple in design, transport less media and therefore need fewer gaskets, they still pose completely new challenges. For example, in the field of “Decoupling”. Our portfolio includes materials for numerous special tasks.
A quieter ride: Mechanical decoupling (NVH) and acoustic optimization
The decoupling of “Noise, Vibration, Harshness” has gained in significance for electromobility, because pump or auxiliary motor noise is no longer masked by the combustion engine. Passive structure-borne noise decoupling improves driving comfort and also prevents component wear. Various materials made by Frenzelit can contribute to numerous applications in this field.
Acoustic perception, for instance, when opening and closing doors, also always influences a vehicle’s perceived value. Frenzelit materials improve structure-borne noise decoupling. Thanks to their individual properties, including for creep, they can master even unfavorable conditions in manufacturing, like during cathodic dip coating, for example.
Practical experience Decoupling of door hinges
Our novaform® 770 material makes an important contribution to high-quality acoustic design in the automotive industry.
Thermal management
Electric motors and batteries all have a temperature range in which they function best. Efficiency, range and even service life decreases outside of this “perfect temperature”. Such systems are therefore cooled or heated as required in an electric vehicle. Range can be significantly extended by intelligent thermal management. Our gaskets prevent losses and increase efficiency in the necessary cooling/heating circuits.
Practical experience CO2 as a coolant
CO2 is used in heat pumps to acclimatize the interior or for the cooling of individual units. This medium poses high requirements on gasket materials because, if CO2 penetrates the gasket material, it can cause damage. This is not possible with the soft gaskets and metal bead gaskets by Frenzelit; sealing performance and durability are significantly improved.
Ultra-thin heating films
As electric vehicle motors do not generate heat to warm the interior, the ultra-thin and lightweight heating film hicoTEC® TP can provide warmth. This film can also be used to keep components, such as sensors or cameras, free of frost and operational in winter.
Renewable energies
Hydrogen
