International Conferences on Composite Materials

 International Conferences on Composite Materials

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Award Nomination - https://x-i.me/compram1

Abstract Submission - https://x-i.me/compabst2

Composites end markets: Automotive (2023)

As the automotive industry focuses on electrification, new opportunities exist for composites to lightweight vehicle components and protect the newer, larger batteries on battery-electric vehicles (BEV). Shown here, the BMW iX BEV features a multi-material composites-intensive frame.
Photo Credit: BMW

Low-volume, high-end vehicles and motorsports have made frequent use of composite materials for years, favoring continuous carbon fiber materials for high-performance, lightweight vehicles.

The more cost-sensitive market for mid- and high-volume production vehicles has been slower to adopt composites. However, a steady, incremental increase has been seen in the use of continuous glass fiber-reinforced polymers (GFRP) in applications such as leaf springs, as well as sheet molding compound (SMC) for applications like body panels and frames, bulk molding compound (BMC) for housings and support structures and injection molded thermoplastics for bumper frames, lift gates and seat structures.

More recently, new opportunities for composites use on commercial mid- and high-volume vehicles have come about as the automotive industry ramps up production of battery-electric vehicles (BEV). According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), sale of plug-in vehicles — including BEVs and hybrid electric vehicles — rose nearly double in 2021 compared to 2020. Batteries in BEV are heavier than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle batteries, necessitating lightweighting elsewhere in the vehicle to maximize the vehicle’s range and efficiency.

 

Battery enclosures Electric vehicle (EV) battery enclosures — covers and trays that hold and protect the frames and battery cells within an EV — are perhaps the area with the most opportunity for composites in automotive right now, led by the need for OEMs to reduce the mass of the overall battery pack. As reported by CW in Part 1 of a two-part 2022 feature on composite enclosures, empty metallic battery enclosures are said to add 110-160 kilograms to vehicle mass even before they’re loaded, making them the heaviest component on BEVs — presenting an opportunity for lighter weight composite materials.