Evolution of Automotive Industry Towards Electrification, Autonomous Vehicles

TAGS:  Automotive      New Energy Solutions    

Today the automotive industry is going through a radical change! The rapid speed of technological change is the catalyst of evolution for an industry that has not seen massive changes since the early 1900s. Soon there will be:

• More electric vehicles (EVs) and semi-autonomous vehicles on the roads
• Various drive trains including:
  • Hydrogen power fuel cells
  • Fully autonomous vehicles

…all integrating more electronics into the automobiles.

The latest automotive trends engineers and designers are working on are connectivity and electrification, reliability and safety, mobility, and the increasing complexity of applications. Future automotive technologies will continue to focus on:

• Electro-friendly (non-corroding, halide- and ionic-free)
• Flame retardancy (FR)
• EMI shielding
• Integrated electronics
• Waterproof electronics
• Thermal management
• Metal/plastic bonding
• Advanced composites

Learn about the factors that boost electric vehicles (EVs) technology and what are the material solutions available to fulfill the demand...

Driving Forces: Sustainability, Regulations, and Consumer Demand

The future of automotive technology will primarily be electric, but for now vehicles with internal combustion engines are still prevalent on the roads. In the past, there was debate about EVs, including their practicality and the benefits of driving one — many industry professionals continued to bet on internal combustion engine (ICE) technology. While at the same time a few companies, such as Tesla, moved aggressively ahead with EV technology.

Now most automotive technology experts agree that the internal combustion engine will slowly disappear over the next 20 to 30 years. Major OEMs are decreasing investment in traditional internal combustion engines. Instead, they are investing in hybrid technology with performance improvements on the combustion side — eventually the hybrid technology will transition into EV technology.

Sustainability Drives EV Technology

A key driving force towards EV technology has been sustainability because there has been a greater focus on emission regulations in many countries. Some of the more sustainable alternatives to ICE technology include:

• Hybrid electric vehicles
• Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles
• Extended range electric vehicles
• Fully electric vehicles with batteries as their own energy source

According to the paper "A ‘Greening Mobility’ framework towards sustainability"^[1]:

• Electric vehicles can significantly reduce global emissions and are part of the future vision for global mobility, especially in combination with renewable electricity sources
• EVs can reduce CO₂ emissions and help eliminate greenhouse gas
• They also have potential to accommodate efficient and personalized transportation
• EVs offer the potential to reduce oil dependency and decarbonize road transport

China at the Forefront of Promoting EV

Another driving force towards EV technology is China’s regulations of EVs and battery ranges.

According to the article “Plugging into the future, Electrifying the global automotive industry”^[2], China is at the forefront of promoting EV usage while aiming to:

• Address an increasing pollution problem
• Reduce reliance on imported oil
• Stake a leadership claim on the next era of global mobility

Also, China is leading global EV sales, accounting for more than half of the 1.8 million EVs sold in 2018.

Even though other countries besides China have their own specific government regulations to follow, manufacturers that want to do business in China are investing heavily in battery technology. In time, the technology used in China will be utilized in other countries, such as India, Europe, Germany and the United States.

Highly Efficient, Low Cost Batteries

Regarding costs, the battery is the most expensive part of an electric vehicle, just as the combustion motor is the costliest part of an ICE vehicle. Batteries reach cost parity with ICE technology at about USD 150 to 200 per kWh. Once there is no difference between the cost of an electric vehicle and ICE vehicle, there will be a tipping point where consumer demand for electric vehicles will increase.

Besides wanting a lower price point, consumers are driving demand for a longer battery driving range. They want to drive longer and further before having to recharge the battery; thus, a larger battery capacity is needed. The latest generation of lithium ion batteries (LiBs) has a higher output and energy density, leading to growing usage across different applications. Also, a great benefit to LiBs is that they are compatible for use in all electronic applications, and cost has come down too.

Essential Elements of an Interconnected System

Lithium ion batteries are made of multiple interconnected cells stacked inside a housing with an electrical control unit that drives the cells and protects them from overloading or charging too quickly. The battery cell housing ensures each battery remains in a position and protects them from harsh conditions the vehicle may be exposed to. Mechanical stability of the total system is necessary because individual cells are connected through the busbars safeguarded by the fuses — if any cells move and are displaced, the contact resistance and electrical stress of the fuses will lead to potential failure of the cells or the entire module.

EVs require high-voltage charging and interconnection systems to ensure enough power to drive the e-motor, plus, an acceptable charging time. When designing these high-voltage systems, engineers need to take extra care in designing the parameters — dielectric strength, creep, and tracking resistance. Color coding (orange is the color of all components in the high-voltage system and main charging path of batteries) is also mandatory to ensure safe handling by operators and rescue teams in the event of an accident.

Another key element of EVs are the connectors — they must ensure the highest reliability and safety over the lifetime of the vehicle, even in the harshest and most aggressive environmental conditions, like dust, moisture, temperature cycling, chemical exposure, and intense vibrations. Connectors need to meet the following requirements to enable safe and reliable operation during the use of the car, as well as throughout the manufacturing processes:

• Unlimited shelf life (Jedec MSL1)
• No pin corrosion (insulation material free from halogens and red phosphorous, and without ionic heat stabilizers)
• High continuous use temperatures of 150°C to 180°C
• Good chemical resistance
• High ductility and electric strength
• CTI of 600V and above

An Unattended Appliance

With EVs, quality and the risk of battery charging becomes a concern. With pure combustion engines, fire can only be generated if there is a crash or external fire source. With an EV, it may be charged in a garage, where no one is watching — the consumer may be out of the house or sleeping — so the risk that something happens, such as a fire, while the car is charging in the garage increases.

Today, flame retardancy (FR) for the automotive industry is defined by the escape time needed to get out of a vehicle. Since the escape time is minimal — all that needs to be done is to open the car door and get out of the vehicle — there is no harsh legislation requiring flame retardant materials to be used in automobiles.

Only a few OEMs specify the UL94-V-0 FR standard for applications, such as plugs or batteries. However, as research is being conducted for even higher-voltage systems — China is working on charging systems up to 1,500 volts and in Europe infrastructure for 800 volts is currently being rolled out — there will come a time when legislation to require FR materials in automobiles may be created.

A car will most likely be treated like an unattended appliance. This won’t be an easy transition for the automobile industry because FR materials cost more and have a lower performance and higher weight, so it will be very counterproductive for designers. Yet the risk factor is far too high — an increased amount of high-power electronics together with the high-voltage electrification and unattended charging will raise the FR bar for automobiles.

Also, EMI shielding and thermal management are becoming increasingly important in automotive electronics; thus, electronic control until (ECU) covers must fulfill both types of applications. ECU and power management modules are typically housed in metallic enclosures and the enclosures provide environmental protection for the board and conducts the heat of the processor and power transistors away to prevent overheating. Also, it shields electromagnetic interference (EMI) caused by adjacent radio frequency signals that may interfere with the sensitive integrated circuits (ICs) and lead to a malfunction.

Most commercially available plastic materials are limited to a maximum of 600 volts CTI and most equipment used to test CTI only with an exception of those from DSM.

Electric Vehicles (EV) Materials Solutions from DSM

DSM’s portfolio of materials solutions is used commercially across a variety of automotive and electronics applications.

For electric vehicles (EV) applications, DSM’s Akulon® and ForTii® compounds offer extreme CTI values well above 700V and 800V respectively, meeting the upcoming needs for higher safety and reliability. Examples of applications for several of these polymer grades are shown below:


DSM’s Akulon® PA6, PA66, or PPA, within the ForTii® product family, offer the high mechanical strength of polyamides and work with a variety of assembly designs, including press fit, wave soldering and reflow soldering. These compounds are halogen-free, and free from red 5 phosphorous, so that they can achieve the high CTI required for these applications.

To ensure that the heat generated within the cells is conducted away to the active and/or passive heat sink of the module, DSM’s Xytron® TC5070C and Xytron® TC5018I grades provide:

• High dimensional stability
• Best-in-class chemical & temperature resistance
• Intrinsic flame retardance and high thermal conductivity

This innovation in PPS polymer science eliminates the typical flash formation during injection molding to enable good processability with no rework required after molding.

Learn about these materials solutions in the table below:

	Grade Name	Strain at break	TC (In-plane) [W/m-K]	TC (Through-plane)  [W/m-K]	Surface Resistivity [ohm-m]	Dielectric  Strength [kV/mm]	CLTE [1/°C]	UL 94
High Thermal Conductivity	Stanyl® TC 502	1.1	14	2.1	1E5	NEI*	0.25E-4	HB
	Stanyl® TC 551	0.6	14	2.1	1E5	NEI*	0.4E-4	V0
	Stanyl® TC153	0.6	8	1	1E13	EI**	0.25E-4	V0
	Xytron® TC5070C	0.7	7	1.8	1E5	NEI*	0.2E-4	V0
High Mechanical Performance	Arnite® AV2 370 XL-T	1.5	1.65	0.8	3E11	1	0.25E-4	HB
	Stanyl® XL-T (P698A)	2.5	0.8	0.6	1E12	5	0.2E-4	HB
	Stanyl® TC168	1.6	2.1	0.9	1E13	EI	0.21E-4	V0
	Stanyl® TC170	2.5	2.1	0.9	1E13	EI	0.2E-4	HB
	Xytron® TC5018I	1.3	1.8	0.8	1E13	EI	0.2E-4	V0
Performance Improvement on Std. Plastics	Akulon® TC185	2.5	1.1	0.9	1E12	EI	0.5E-4	V0
	Akulon® TC186	1.2	1.6	0.8	1E13	EI	0.5E-4	V0

        *NEI - Non-electrically inductive
          **EI - Electrically inductive


At the recently held K Show, DSM also offered technical seminars sharing the latest insights into the polymer industry featuring topics listed below:

• Safer connected homes around the world
• On the road with high voltage
• Material selection for EV thermal management systems
• EMI shielding with plastic: Future of metal replacement in electrical cars

Also, available for review is the “White paper: The future of automotive” by Dr. Tamim Sidiki, global marketing director for DSM, and Yu Bin, system expert for DSM.

Find out the electric vehicles (EV) materials solutions from DSM:

• Akulon® TC185: A thermally conductive, heat stabilized, flame retardant polyamide 6 grade that is suitable for processing by injection molding. It contains release agent and exhibits chemical resistance.


• Arnite® AV2 370 XL-T: A thermally conductive polyethylene terephthalate (PET) grade reinforced with 35% glass fiber. Used in automotive applications such as bezel (black) sun load, bezels & AFL frames, foglamps, LED headlight lighting modules & lensholders, LED module frame, & lens holder sun load. 


• Forti® F11: A halogen-free, red phosphorous-free, flame retardant polyamide 4T (PA4T) grade reinforced with 30% glass fiber. Used in electrical and electronic components like terminal blocks, RAST, DDR3, FPC, I/O, SATA/SAS and DIN connectors, PCB components and in mobile phone components.


• Stanyl® TC153: A heat stabilized polyamide 4-6 grade. It is suitable for processing by injection molding. Used in heat sinks in LED lamps.


• Stanyl® TC168: A thermally conductive, heat stabilized, flame retardant polyamide 4-6 grade reinforced with 20% glass fiber. Recommended for heat sinks in LED lamps.


• Stanyl® TC170: A laser markable, thermal conductive, chemical resistant, polyamide 4-6 reinforced with 20% glass. It can be processed by injection molding.
  
  
• Stanyl® TW241B3: A lubricated and heat stabilized polyamide 4-6 grade reinforced with 15% carbon fiber. Used in automotive applications such as oil pump gears, power door actuators, power lift gate actuators, power seats, power window actuators and windshield wiper actuators
  
  
• Stanyl® TW200B6: A heat stabilized and lubricated polyamide 4-6 grade. Used in automotive engines.


• Stanyl® TC 502: A heat stabilized, thermally conductive polyamide 4-6 grade. Used in LED headlight lighting modules and lensholders in automotives.


• Stanyl® TC 551: A thermally conductive, flame retardant polyamide 4-6 grade. Used in heat sinks in LED lamps.