Detroit -- Automotive suppliers know that the plastics industry has a bright future in the field of electric vehicles.
According to data from IHS Markit, a research institute, by 2025, the proportion of electric and hybrid electric vehicles in total global automobile production may reach 33%. OEMs are actively exploring suppliers who can provide different composite materials and apply them. In car manufacturing.
According to Eric Hayes, executive vice president of automotive supplier executives such as Continental Structural Plastics (CSP), these data indicate that the industry is undergoing gear shifts and the market is changing.
"If you haven't noticed the electric car...it should start paying attention now." Hayes said at the Plastics News's 'Plastic Application in the Automotive Industry' seminar on January 16th.
Future estimates of electric vehicle production based on geographical location can also reflect this change. Hess said that in North America, it is estimated that nearly 20% of vehicles by 2025 will use electric or hybrid power. In Europe, the proportion is expected to be 11%.
He said that due to the Chinese government's adoption of active electric vehicle rules, the growth curve of China's electric vehicle and hybrid vehicle ownership will manifest itself as the largest increase.
'In 2017, China produced about 500,000 electric or hybrid vehicles,' said Hays. 'What's really interesting is that by 2020, this figure will reach 2 million vehicles, which is the goal of the Chinese government.' In 2025, IHS Marrkit expects to have more than 4.5 million electric and hybrid vehicles in China.
'Everyone here knows the importance of batteries,' said Hayes when talking about composites for electric cars.
In 2014, CSP and Qingdao Wei'ao Orbits Co., Ltd. jointly established a joint venture company to produce composite parts for China's auto, heavy trucks and passenger cars, as well as construction and agricultural markets. Both joint ventures, each holding 50% of the shares, are suppliers to the electric vehicle market. Bring confidence.
'At present in China, 80% of our opportunities are related to electric car batteries,' said Hayes. 'This is a real growth market for us.' He said that CSP uses vinyl ester (a thermosetting plastic) , Compared with metal, there are several advantages, such as lower mold cost, overall plan investment, design flexibility, and lighter weight and safety.
Many people began to predict that the useful life of electric cars (and ultimately, automated electric cars) could be as much as 500,000 miles... Corrosion resistance will be the biggest advantage for us in composites. '
Interior opportunities
For the interior parts of electric vehicles, plastics will play a more important role in both functionality and design. OEMs are also constantly looking for hybrid materials to reduce vehicle weight and improve performance.
'I don't think that people know exactly what the future of automotive interiors will look like, but from the point of view of automotive electronics, making automotive interior surfaces seamless is going to be a development direction, 'the international auto parts group advanced development and Ross Reynolds, vice president of material engineering, thinks this way.
Reynolds was one of the three guests participating in the vehicle interior discussions at the car conference held on January 16.
'All the things we are trying now, including ... lightweight, low cost, safe ... I think all these things are required,' she added. 'Just, which is What are the mandatory requirements of the government, which are consumers like? This is what we do not know. '
From a material point of view, Jeffrey Helms, Global Automotive OEM Account Director of Celanese Engineered Materials, said that the reconfiguration of electric or automated electric shared vehicle interiors can provide 'many opportunities' and 'comfort, convenience, Safety and cost are eternal topics.
Robert Kenny, Vice President of Foglia North American Engineering, commented on the lifecycle of electric cars that emerged as emerging technologies.
He said: 'We need to ensure that we can make modifications within the service life of the vehicle, and it is best to revise both technically and aesthetically. This will be a new challenge and it is better not to rely on material suppliers or OEMs to provide solutions. Program. '
Helms believes that for electric vehicles, the reduction of weight in particular means lower costs and greater possibilities for retrofit. Recently, he has seen everyone redesigned and reconfigured electric and autonomous electric vehicles. , Great enthusiasm for reducing seat weight and abandoning crossover beams.
Reynolds also added that the surprise she expects to see is: 'How much shapeability is there in today's familiar materials?'
'I think the components inside the car must be interchangeable,' she said. 'I think we'll see more of the combination of compression and injection molding to get lighter materials through different types of bonding schemes.'
Kenny said that one of the biggest challenges facing automakers and suppliers today is how the rapid development of technology will make capital investment consistent with future demand. He said: 'We must find a way in our current There is a bridge between where we are and where we are heading in the future. Technology is not only important in the future, but it will come to us more quickly and the degree of change will far exceed expectations.