Unveiling the Power of New Energy Battery Housing Materials! Understanding the Novel Characteristics and Performance Requirements of Battery Enclosures!

The stiffness of battery pack housings is especially critical; in most electric vehicles, the battery pack housing constitutes an essential part of the vehicle’s structural framework, significantly influencing the overall stiffness of the white body. Consequently, the housing must meet safety requirements for frontal and side collisions, as illustrated in the figure. The rigidity of the battery pack housing largely depends on the sandwich structure employed—typically using aluminum foam as the core material. Moreover, fiber-reinforced components offer high specific stiffness, low weight, and excellent damping characteristics, all of which positively impact the vehicle’s noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) performance. Thermal Management and Flame Retardancy Another advantage of composite battery pack housings lies in the fact that carbon fiber–reinforced composites exhibit thermal conductivity approximately 200 times lower than that of aluminum alloys, along with superior electrical insulation. As a result, composite housings better withstand extreme high and low temperatures compared to traditional metal housings. Currently, lithium-ion batteries operate ideally within a temperature range of 10–40°C and generally require integrated heating/cooling systems. Composite housings provide superior thermal insulation, reducing energy demand under hot conditions and thereby enhancing vehicle efficiency and lowering total power consumption. Beyond their positive contribution to thermal management, the low thermal conductivity also serves as an excellent prerequisite for effective flame retardancy. By incorporating flame-retardant additives, composite housings can readily meet stringent flame-retardant standards such as UL94-V-0 and UL94-5VB. Other Performance Attributes Additionally, sandwich-structured battery pack housings better satisfy corrosion resistance requirements and offer improved sealing performance. Through tailored fiber layup design and controlled fiber volume content, electromagnetic shielding can be achieved in critical areas. Furthermore, the application of composites enables greater scope for integrated design—structural reinforcements, auxiliary components, connection elements, sensors, and other functional parts can all be seamlessly integrated. Manufacturing Process and Value Proposition of Thermoplastic and Reinforced Plastic Materials for Battery Enclosures Compared to metallic components, large-area fully plastic enclosures not only shorten cycle times but also reduce vehicle weight—thereby extending the driving range of electric vehicles (EVs). Lanxess and Kautex Textron spent several years jointly researching whether EV battery enclosures could be designed and manufactured from engineering thermoplastics. Using Direct Long-Fiber Thermoplastics (D-LFT) and polyamide 6 (PA 6) resin, they developed a technology demonstrator in their feasibility study. This demonstrator measured 1,400 × 1,400 mm (length × width), representing a complex, large-scale, fully plastic enclosure weighing in the low thousands of kilograms. The project aimed to demonstrate the advantages of thermoplastics over metals in terms of weight reduction, cost savings, functional integration, and electrical insulation. Felix Haas, Kautex’s Director of Product Development, explained: “As a first step, we have eliminated metal reinforcement structures entirely—and proven that these complex, large components can be commercially manufactured.” Dr. Christopher Hoefs, Project Manager for Electromobility Systems at Lanxess, added: “Kautex and Lanxess aim to leverage the outcomes of this collaboration to enter mass-production development projects together with automotive OEMs.”

Overseas Capacity Deployment of China’s Power Battery Industrial Chain

23. BTR Indonesia Project: In June 2022, Hong Kong BTR—a wholly owned subsidiary—entered into a joint venture with STELLAR to establish BTR Indonesia New Energy Materials Co., Ltd., investing in and developing an integrated project in Indonesia with an annual production capacity of 80,000 tons of anode materials for new-energy lithium-ion batteries. In June 2023, a supplementary agreement was announced, specifying investment in two locations within Indonesia—the IMIP Industrial Park and the Kendal Industrial Park—for an integrated 80,000-ton-per-year anode materials project. Specifically, the IMIP Industrial Park will host a semi-finished anode materials production line (80,000 tons/year), while the Kendal Industrial Park will host a finished anode materials production line (80,000 tons/year). 24.中科电气 (CITIC Guoan Electric) Morocco Base Project: In April 2024, the company’s controlling subsidiary, Hunan Zhongke Xingcheng Graphite Co., Ltd., plans to indirectly establish a wholly owned Moroccan project company via a newly established wholly owned subsidiary in Hong Kong or another overseas jurisdiction, to implement a 100,000-ton-per-year integrated lithium-ion battery anode materials base. The project will be constructed in two phases, each with a planned anode materials capacity of 50,000 tons/year; the construction period for each phase is estimated at 24 months. 25.杉杉股份 (Shanshan Co., Ltd.) Finland Base Project: In September 2023, Shanghai Shanshan Lithium Battery Material Technology Co., Ltd.—a controlling subsidiary—plans to invest in Finland to build a 100,000-ton-per-year integrated lithium-ion battery anode materials base. The project will be implemented in two phases, each with a planned capacity of 50,000 tons/year; the construction period for each phase is expected to be 24 months. The total planned investment will not exceed €1.28 billion. 26. 璞泰来 (Putailai) Sweden Production Base: In May 2023, Putailai plans to establish Zichen Technology (Sweden) Co., Ltd. in Sweden to construct an integrated R&D and production base for anode materials. The facility is expected to achieve an annual anode materials capacity of 50,000 tons by 2025, and reach 100,000 tons annually by the end of 2026 or early 2027. 27. 天赐材料 (Tinci Materials) Germany Subsidiary: In March 2021, Tinci invested USD 15 million to establish a German subsidiary. Lanxess announced that, starting in 2022, it would produce lithium-ion battery electrolyte formulations for China’s Tinci Materials at its high-tech facility operated by subsidiary Saltigo. In June 2022, Tinci increased its capital contribution to the German subsidiary by USD 18 million. USA Production Base: In June 2023, its subsidiary Texas Tinci initiated preparatory work for the “200,000-ton-per-year electrolyte project”, including organizing and conducting preliminary feasibility studies, scientifically planning implementation content and timelines, project registration, environmental impact assessments, and other pre-construction activities. In July 2023, land was purchased in Texas for the project site. Morocco: In June 2023, Tinci established a wholly owned Moroccan management company through its wholly owned Singapore subsidiary, and subsequently set up a wholly owned Moroccan operating entity via the management company to engage in the production and sales of lithium-ion battery materials. 28. 新宙邦 (CAPCHEM) Poland Project: In March 2018, CAPCHEM committed to investing RMB 360 million to construct a facility producing 40,000 tons of electrolyte, 5,000 tons of NMP, and 5,000 tons of conductive slurry. In April 2021, CAPCHEM and LG Energy Solution jointly agreed to increase capital in CAPCHEM Poland.

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