BOSTON, March 28,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Electric vehicles (EVs) are a
primary method to reach a net zero transportation sector, but in
addition to CO2 emissions, overall sustainability is
becoming an increased focus point. However, sustainability is a
very complex topic that does not tend to deal with absolutes as
many factors are involved. There are concerns about the sourcing of
minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and others to manufacture
battery cells, but the construction and materials used to make the
battery pack should also be considered. With IDTechEx forecasting a
5.5-fold increase in EV battery demand from 2023 to 2034, the
impact of materials on sustainable battery production and how
batteries are dealt with at the end of their life becomes
increasingly important.
Another key focus for the EV industry, which may seem unrelated
at first, is the need to apply fire protection materials to prevent
or delay thermal runaway propagating between cells and eventually
outside of the battery pack. IDTechEx predicts this market to
experience a 16.1% CAGR from 2023 to 2034. The obvious reason for
this is to improve the fire safety of these vehicles in the rare
cases where they ignite. The huge variety of battery designs that
have been seen on the market leads to a similarly broad range of
fire protection materials employed. These materials themselves can
be more or less sustainable, but also, how they are employed can
play a factor in how sustainable the EV battery industry will
be.
Fire protection materials: Application and
sustainability
Some options used for fire protection in EV batteries include
ceramic sheets, encapsulating foams, mica sheets, aerogels, and
many others. As an example, mica has come under scrutiny due to its
mining processes, but this has been improving with the Responsible
Mica Initiative (established in 2017), and many producers of final
products take steps to source their mica as responsibly as
possible. As materials suppliers move towards using more renewable
energy in the production of their materials, this will also improve
the overall sustainability of materials.
Aside from the materials themselves, how they are applied can
play a role. For example, polyurethane foams are somewhat
sustainable materials as polyurethane can be recycled, and its
production is not very energy-intensive in comparison to some
options. However, in EV battery packs, when applied as an
encapsulating foam, it is typically done so in a way that is not
meant to be dismantled. According to IDTechEx estimates, a 60kWh
pack taking this approach uses approximately 8kg of foam. This
means that if a pack has a fault, the whole pack may have to be
replaced, or at the end of the pack's life, dismantling becomes
very difficult. As the market moves to more highly integrated
battery designs like cell-to-pack architectures, there is generally
an increased use of adhesives that are difficult to remove
safely.
Recycling an EV battery is sometimes done by grinding the entire
pack and removing the useful materials as best as possible.
Recovery of key materials would be improved, and waste could be
reduced by making packs easy to dismantle. However, the trade-off
is in the battery performance, reliability, and cost. A pack
without modules, bonded strongly together, reduces the number of
components, improving energy density and reducing costs, at the
expense of replacing very few packs under warranty rather than
servicing them.
IDTechEx outlook
Sustainability is increasing in importance, but often not the
first priority; it will often fall behind performance and cost.
This balance is also difficult when considering fire protection
materials, as these provide a crucial safety function that should
not be compromised. Given there is a selection of materials that
can provide sufficient fire protection, OEMs could start to have
sustainability move up the list of priorities. Ultimately, it is
difficult to say that one material category is better or worse in
terms of sustainability, and OEMs will have to determine which
materials will function best in their design but also discuss this
with respective material suppliers to see how they source and
manufacture their materials, as well as options for dismantling
and/or recycling at end-of-life.
The IDTechEx report, "Fire Protection Materials for EV Batteries
2024-2034: Markets, Trends, and Forecasts", predicts the market
share and growth for various categories of materials, including
ceramic sheets, mica sheets, encapsulating foams, aerogels,
coatings (fire retardant and intumescent), phase change materials,
and others. The report considers upcoming regulations and the
shifts in battery design, such as cell format, cell-to-pack, and
more, to determine volume and value forecasts across on-road
vehicle categories, including cars, vans, trucks, buses,
2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, and microcars.
To find out more about this report, including downloadable
sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/FPM.
For the full portfolio of electric vehicle market research from
IDTechEx, please see www.IDTechEx.com/Research/EV.
About IDTechEx:
IDTechEx provides trusted independent research on emerging
technologies and their markets. Since 1999, we have been
helping our clients to understand new technologies, their supply
chains, market requirements, opportunities and forecasts. For more
information, contact research@IDTechEx.com or
visit www.IDTechEx.com.
Media Contact:
Lucy
Rogers
Sales and Marketing Administrator
press@IDTechEx.com
+44(0)1223 812300
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SOURCE IDTechEx