Multi-dimensional application of silicone rubber in new energy resources automobile industry

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As an important alternative to traditional fuel vehicles, new energy resources vehicles have been widely concerned and developed rapidly in the world in recent years. Its main categories include pure electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV-s) and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs). With the advancement of technology and promotion of policies, new energy vehicles have made remarkable progress in market share, technological innovation and industrial chain construction, and sales continue to reach new level.

Source: Asset Information Network, Qianji Investment Bank, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China's NEV output in 2023 was 9.587 million units, with sales reaching 9.495 million units, up 35.8 percent and 37.9 percent year by year, respectively.

In terms of exports, new energy resources vehicles also performed well. In 2023, China's new energy vehicle exports reached 1.735 million units, an increase of 55%. From January to April 2024, the average export price of China's new energy vehicles reached US $23,000, an increase of US $18,000 compared to 2019. This shows that China's new energy resources vehicles are becoming more competitive in the world.

Source: Asset Information Network, Qianji Investment Bank, Huajin Securities

In the field of new energy resources vehicles, the use of silicone rubber is more extensive and complex than traditional vehicles. In this paper, the multi-dimensional application of silicone rubber material in new energy vehicle industry will be introduced.

 

INTRODUCTION TO SILICONE RUBBER

01

Introduction of Silicone Rubber

Silicone rubbers are widely used in the new energy resources vehicle industry, mainly due to its unique physical and chemical properties, which make it very suitable for new energy vehicles to meet the high performance requirements, becoming an indispensable material in the new energy vehicle manufacturing. With the rapid development of new energy resources automobile industry, the application of silicone rubber is expected to further expand.

1.High and Low Temperature Resistance: Silicone rubber maintains stable physical properties over extreme temperature ranges, typically from -55 ° C to + 300 ° C. This high temperature resistance makes it particularly suitable for use in battery management systems motors and other automotive components that operate at high or low temperatures

2.Electrical Insulation: Silicone rubber has excellent electrical insulation properties, which makes it ideal for electrical vehicle motor insulation and wire protection, especially in high voltage and strict safety standards applications;

3.Chemical Stability: Silicone rubber is naturally resistant to many chemicals, including common oils, solvents, and acids. This chemical stability is especially important for battery packaging and electrical connection components which are frequently exposed to potentially corrosive substances

4.Mechanical properties: silicone rubber has excellent elasticity and tear resistance, can withstand repeated mechanical stress and not easy to break or deformation. This is particularly important in vehicle vibration control systems and power transmission components

5.Aging resistance, weather resistance: Silicone rubber can resist the erosion of ultraviolet radiation and ozone, so it can maintain the same performance even after long-term exposure to harsh environment;

6.Biocompatibility and Environmental Protection: Silicone rubber is a non-toxic material, environmentally friendly, in line with the current automotive industry increasingly attached importance to sustainable development and environmental standards.

7.Customization and machining flexibility: Silicone rubber can be machined into a variety of shapes and sizes, making it ideal for complex design needs and innovative designs for new energy vehicles.

APPLICATIONS OF SILICONE RUBBER

02

Multi-dimensional application of silicone rubber

Silicone rubber in the manufacture of new energy resources vehicles, By providing solutions for sealing and waterproofing, safety protection, thermal conductivity and lightweight in various demanding applications, it promotes new energy vehicle development and popularization.

01

Battery Management System (BMS)

In the new energy resources vehicle industry, battery management system is the key technology to ensure the performance, safety and life of electric vehicle battery pack. Silicone rubber plays an important role in battery management systems (BMS), often used to make insulation gaskets and seals between cells.

New energy resources automobile battery pack example

1.Battery Packaging and Sealing: Silicone rubber is often used as a sealing material for battery cells because of its excellent chemical stability and temperature resistance. It can prevent the leakage of electrolyte and protect the cell from the influence of external environment, such as temperature fluctuation and chemical erosion.

2.Thermal Protection: Silicone rubber provides excellent thermal insulation and can be used as an insulating layer between cells, reducing heat transfer between cells and helping to maintain the overall temperature balance of a battery pack. This is essential to improve battery efficiency and extend battery life

3.Vibration Absorption: Silicon rubber can be used as a shock absorption material to effectively absorb and reduce the impact of vibration on the performance of the battery, protect sensitive battery components and avoid physical damage caused by vibration.

4.Insulation: In battery packs, silicone rubber is also used to make insulating layers and insulating sleeving to prevent electrical short circuits between battery components. This use is essential to ensure the electrical safety of the battery pack

5.Connector and Interface Seals: Silicone rubber is also used to seal electrical connectors and interfaces in battery management systems, not only preventing moisture and contaminants from entering, but also withstanding frequent connections and disconnections for reliability and durability.

Through these applications, silicone rubber can help improve the overall performance and safety of new energy resources vehicle battery management system.

02

Motor insulation

Compared with the traditional fuel vehicle, hybrid electric vehicle and pure electric vehicle add a lot of high voltage accessories , such as high voltage distribution box, drive motor, motor controller and so on, which put forward new requirements for cable.

Because these cables are arranged in the front engine and chassis area, the temperature is high and the space is narrow, the cable needs to be soft, the turning radius is small, and the performance of high and low temperature is good. Secondly, the road conditions are complex, and the wear resistance of the cable must be good and the mechanical strength is high. In addition, when the speed is high or low, especially in the bad conditions such as full load climbing, the instantaneous large current requires the cable with short-term overload capacity . To sum up the new energy vehicle cable must have good electrical insulation performance; Thermal stability against short circuit, resistance to natural weathering; With corrosion resistance, oil resistance hydrophobic, excellent flame retardant performance; Excellent comprehensive mechanical properties, high flexibility and high tear resistance.

Example of silicone rubber line for new energy resources vehicles

At present, the insulation materials of automobile power cable include crosslinked polyolefin and thermoplastic elastomer. The heat resistance of crosslinked polyolefin material is up to 150C, but the cable is hard, it is inconvenient to install in the narrow space of the car body, and it needs radiation crosslinking - technology is complex, so it is not suitable for large - section cable. While the thermoplastic er material heat resistance is not more than 125C, the temperature level for power cable is low, and the cable of thermoplastic elastomer material will have the risk of cracking after long-term use.

TPE, XLPO and silicone rubber material performance comparison, the figure from Elkem

The silicone rubber has high and low temperature resistance, ozone resistance, weather resistance and excellent electrical insulation; Silicone rubber line has large capacity, saves conductor section, and can meet the requirements of long time full load operation; Fire resistance can be achieved by adding flame retardants; High flexibility, easy to install in limited space; High tear resistance silicone rubber, pants tear up to 25N / mm. Therefore, silicone rubber material can combine the advantages of crosslinked polyolefin and thermoplastic elastomer and make up for their disadvantages and reduce the weight of vehicles and carbon dioxide emissions at the same time . It is a good choice for automotive power cables.

03

Charging interface

The application of silicone rubber in the charging interface of new energy resources vehicles mainly involves its excellent sealing and protection ability:

1.Sealing ring and gasket: Silicone rubberis often used to make the sealing rings and gaskets of charging port, which can effectively prevent moisture, dust and other pollutants from entering the charging port and reduce corrosion or damage caused by environmental factors. The sealing ring and gasket can also prevent electrical leakage during charging and ensure the safety of charging process

2.Interface connector: Silicone rubber is often used to charge component of interface connector because of its good electrical insulation. It helps to isolate current and prevent electrical failure while also enhancing the mechanical strength of the connector to ensure durability in repeated insertion and withdrawal operations

3.Waterproof and dustproof cover: Silicone rubber can also be used to make waterproof and dust cover for charging interface. These lids cover the interface when not charged, preventing potential damage from external factors and extending the service life of the interface.

New energy resources automobile charging interface protection cover

Through these applications, silicone rubber significantly improves the functionality and durability of the charging interface, which is critical to maintaining the efficiency and safety of the charging system.

04

Heat dissipation system

With the increasing demand for power and efficiency of electric vehicles, the importance of heat dissipation system is becoming increasingly prominent. The following are some specific applications of silicone rubber in heat dissipation systems:

New energy resources automobile power battery cooling system example

1.Coolant Hose: Silicone rubber is often used to make coolant hoses in cooling systems that connect the radiator to the engine or battery and deliver coolant. The high temperature resistance and chemical resistance of silicone rubber make it stable and durable in extreme automotive service environments and prevent hose cracking or leaks

2.Radiator Gaskets and Seals: Silicone rubber is often used as the gasket and sealing material for radiators and other cooling components to ensure that the cooling system does not lose cooling efficiency due to leakage at the interface, while protecting the system from external contamination.

3.Thermal Interface Material (TIM): Silicon rubber is used as a thermal interface material in electronic components that require efficient thermal management such as batteries and controllers to fill the tiny gaps between components and optimize heat transfer to improve overall thermal efficiency .

05

Sensor protection

New energy resources vehicles will use a lot of sensors, such as temperature sensors, pressure sensors, image sensors and so on. These sensors enable efficient operation, safe driving and comfort. Silicone rubber can be made into a sheath to ensure the accuracy and long-term stability of the sensor.

1.Sensor Packaging: Silicone rubber can be used to make sensor housings or packaging materials that protect the sensor from moisture, dust, chemicals and other potential environmental hazards;

2.Shockproof protection: Silicone rubber can buffer and absorb the vibration of the vehicle, and prevent damage caused by precision sensors, such as accelerometers or tilt sensors often use silicone rubber material to enhance its seismic resistance;

3.Thermal management: For sensors that need to operate in high temperatures, such as exhaust or battery temperature sensors, silicone rubber provides thermal protection to help keep the operating temperature of the sensor within a safe range.

4.Connector Seal: Silicone rubber is also used to make the sealing ring for the electrical connector of the sensor, which ensures gas tightness and water resistance.

06

Car keys

The buttons of new energy resources vehicles are usually a combination of touch screen buttons and physical buttons to balance the convenience, safety and user experience. With the popularization of touch screen technology, some function keys of new energy resources vehicles are gradually controlled by touch screen technology, but the physical keys still have the necessity of its existence. The physical buttons are mainly made of plastic, silicone and P + R. With the physical feedback of the boundary, it is more suitable for providing fast and accurate task execution while driving, more durable and less maintenance cost.

IML process touch plastic buttons combined with silver-plated entity buttons

The buttons of new energy resources vehicles usually focus on several key areas:

1.Center console: The center console is one of the most concentrated buttons for new energy vehicles, usually equipped with air conditioning control buttons, audio system operation buttons, vehicle settings menu buttons, etc. With the popularization of touch screen technology, many functions are controlled by touch screen gradually, but some basic functions still keep physical buttons to provide more intuitive operation.

2.Steering wheel: The steering wheel is often equipped with multi-function buttons for controlling volume, answering telephone calls, entering voice commands, and switching information on the information display screen. These buttons help keep the driver focused and safe by allowing the driver to operate without leaving the whee.

Silicone rubber and plastic buttons are widely used in the automotive industry

3.Inside the door: The inside of the door is usually equipped with a button to control the window lift button to adjust the outside mirrors and the door lock button

4.Under the Instrument Panel: Below the instrument panel or hidden beneath the steering wheel, some cars have buttons that adjust driving mode (e.g. Economy, Sport), activate the vehicle stability control system, etc.

5.Sunroof and Light Control: If the vehicle is equipped with a sunroof the button for the sunroof switch is usually located on the roof near the center console

6.Seat and Steering Wheel Heating Buttons: In some new energy vehicles equipped with seat heating or steering wheel heating functions, the associated control buttons are usually located next to the seat or on the center console for drivers and passengers to use in cold weather.

CERTIFICATION

03

IATF16949 Certification

IATF 16949 is an ISO 9001 based quality management system, designed for the automotive industry supply chain quality management standards. Developed by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) and the ISO Technical Committee, the standard aims to improve supplier quality management capabilities and ensure that suppliers can provide products and services that meet high quality standards.

IATF 16949 certified suppliers of silicone rubber products have a distinct advantage when it comes to the supply of critical components and systems. This certification is now a qualification threshold that helps manufacturers select qualified suppliers to signal that the supplier has high quality management and production capacity, following a rigorous quality control process. At the same time, the IATF 16949 certification is widely recognized around the world, helping suppliers to enter a wider global market. For enterprises pursuing long-term cooperative relationship and engaging in large-scale projects,CMAI Silicone was certified by IATF 16949 in the automotive industry in April 2023, with rich experience in silicone rubber & plastic products customization, is a trusted and selected professional supplier of new energy auto parts.

Founded in 2004, ChangMai is a one stop "silicone +" professional service provider integrating design, R & D, production and manufacturing . ChangMai adheres to the concept of "Only for Champions" and continues to innovate and lead breakthroughs in the field of silicone rubber and plastic customization. It has now achieved independent production of the entire process, and its products cover multiple industries such as consumer electronics, medical beauty, communication equipment, industrial machinery, and automobile manufacturing.

ChangMai silicone

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