Introduction: Under the wave of electrification and intelligence, the development of the new energy vehicle industry is accelerating, while the safety issues of new energy vehicles have become increasingly prominent, and automotive thermal management has also attracted more and more attention. China Industry Information Network predicts that the domestic electric vehicle thermal management system market is expected to expand to 42 billion yuan, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 30%, which means that the thermal management industry will usher in huge increments and opportunities in the future.

　　Traditional automobiles use fuel engines as the power system, and their thermal management demands are mainly focused on cooling the engine and its surrounding accessories. At this time, the automobile thermal management system usually uses mechanical components such as radiators, water pumps and thermostats to achieve natural cooling. , the thermal management efficiency is generally not high. Compared with traditional fuel vehicles, although the purpose of thermal management of new vehicles is to maintain the optimal temperature of core components, in fact, new energy vehicles need to achieve more precise temperature management management and higher efficiency requirements. The requirements of the system are more complex.

　　Taking a pure electric vehicle as an example, its thermal management system needs to help the power battery to work efficiently in a narrow temperature range of 10-30/35°C, because once it works at a higher or lower temperature, it will not only affect the battery cells. Work efficiency can also affect battery mileage and even battery life, leading to premature battery failure.

　　In order to meet the complex thermal management system requirements of new energy vehicles, the development of related components and materials also requires continuous iterative upgrades. When the electric vehicle is running, the three-electric system (battery, electric drive and electric control) requires a more precise and efficient temperature control system. Therefore, there is a need for higher durability of related component materials. In addition, when controlling heat, the relevant component materials also need to have characteristics such as excellent dimensional stability and chemical resistance, so as to help the core components retain dimensional accuracy and mechanical properties after long-term aging.

　　Faced with the special requirements of the above materials, Solvay, a leading global supplier of specialty polymers, can provide new energy vehicle OEMs with high-performance thermal management materials that meet their needs with their rich industry experience, helping related components to survive harsh working conditions. Reliable and safe operation is still easy to achieve.

01. Ryton PPS improves the safety factor of cooling pipelines

With the development of the trend of lightweight and compact new energy vehicles, the design size of the drive motors of new energy vehicles is constantly shrinking. The tight space not only confuses the design of the cooling pipeline, but also brings unavoidable high temperature challenges. Solvay developed the Ryton PPS polymer in order to increase the design freedom of components such as cooling lines and improve the thermal and chemical resistance of components without adding extra weight.

　　As a high-temperature polymer, Ryton PPS is inherently flame-retardant and provides excellent dimensional stability for precision-formed parts that are subjected to high-temperature service for extended periods of time. Coolant lines and air conditioning lines made of this material have a high melting point and are available in V0 flame retardant grades, providing maximum safety margin in the event of an internal thermal event or an external fire event.

　　In addition, as a metal replacement material, it is lightweight and has excellent chemical resistance, resistant to road salt and all vehicle chemicals. Compared with traditional polypropylene and polyamide materials, it has better elasticity under extreme high temperature conditions. The excellent forming and processing performance can also make it meet the needs of multi-component integration, which is very in line with the current trend of lightweight and compact design of core components such as new energy drive motors.

02. Long-term guarantee of excellent performance of Amodel PPA

　　As a reliable choice for lightweight solutions for new energy vehicles, Amodel PPA has been used in various parts under the hood of automobiles for more than 25 years. It has low hygroscopicity, high toughness and retains its properties in coolant. Mechanical integrity is maintained even after thousands of hours of operation in a chemically aggressive environment with high temperature and humidity. In addition, it offers glycol-resistant or electrical-friendly specialty products. Electrically friendly products with non-corrosive thermal stabilizers are high pressure resistant and maintain dielectric properties at high temperatures.

　　On the basis of Amodel PPA products, Solvay also launched the Amodel Supreme & Bios series, a new upgraded product of the Amodel family, to the market. Among them, Amodel Supreme has a high glass transition temperature (Tg=165°C), which can provide more excellent electrical properties for electric vehicle components compared with traditional materials based on PA4T and PA6T, including above 150°C Volume resistivity and dielectric strength at temperature. The Amodel Bios series products have Solvay's latest partial bio-based long-chain PPA. Compared with the existing bio-derived long-chain PPA, its glass transition temperature is up to 135 °C, but it has the lowest glass transition temperature among all PPA resins. Global Warming Potential (GWP), a "dual friendly" material for electrical and environmental sustainability.

　　It is worth mentioning that at Solvay's US plant, several product lines, including Ryton PPS and Amodel PPA, are produced from 100% renewable electricity. Solvay has built a sustainable circular ecosystem in the automotive value chain by combining improved energy efficiency with sustainable procurement and the promotion of a circular economy. Production of Amodel PPA has achieved a 30% reduction in carbon footprint between 2013 and 2021.

　　In addition to considering the sustainability of materials, the selection of special materials in the automotive industry also needs to comprehensively evaluate the working temperature, electrical properties, chemical resistance and other factors of the material, especially when choosing suitable materials for core components with complex working conditions such as motors, more careful again. In response to this demand, Solvay has established the Materials Science Application Center (MSAC) in Brussels, Belgium, which can provide you with professional technical support to help you quickly optimize the producibility of components and achieve the best new performance levels for component use.