ADHESIVES | E -MOBILITY
DRIVING THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY Lightweighting and greater reliance on electrical systems
Game-changing new
technologies are driving
the biggest transformation
that the automotive sector
has seen in 100 years. The car of the
future will be electri ed, connected
to its environment, autonomously
driven, and even shared among
several users.
But what does this step-shift mean
for manufacturers? Which adaptions
will they have to make to production
processes—while still delivering
high performance, safety and
ef ciency?
THE OPPORTUNITIES
For Dr Christian Kirsten, corporate
senior VP of Automotive
& Metals at Henkel,
three changes will
have profound
opportunities for
automotive material
suppliers moving
forward.
Lightweight
construction:
Lightweighting in the
automotive industry has
been a trend for many years.
Manufacturers have been constantly
looking for ways to take weight out of
are essential areas in the manufacture of electric vehicles.
Henkel’s adhesives and materials divisions are working on
technologies to meet the requirements of e-mobility.
the car body and chassis. There are
many methods to do so, including the
increase of aluminium content.
The emergence of electric
vehicles: As well as for cost ef ciency
and safety challenges, electric
vehicles need to be able to achieve
suf cient range. Manufacturers
need to ensure that the battery is
completely protected, maintaining its
structural integrity in the
case of a crash or a
re.
The continuous trend towards
autonomous driving: The road to totally
autonomous vehicles is a long one. The
rst step will be electri cation, with
smarter cars to follow. But this shift
presents its own challenges, especially
in ensuring the reliability and safety of
all vehicles on the road.
NEXT STEPS
Optimising the design of these future
vehicles will require a combination
of engineering and material science
expertise.
Henkel Adhesive Technology
solutions include thermal interface
materials, like gap ller technology,
which will help batteries run safely
at a consistent temperature. Other
technical examples from the portfolio
include adhesive technologies for
bonding battery cells together,
and UV light puri cation solutions
that reduce cycle times and lower
processing costs.
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