4 Key-Point of Aerogel Applications in the Automotive Field You Have To Know

Compared with traditional insulation material, Aerogel material have 4 Key-Point big advances as following:

● Excellent fireproof performance to ensure that the lithium battery has the best operating temperature, at the same time provide valuable time for the safe evacuation of personnel in case of accidental fire hazard.

● Low thermal conductivity, good insulation performance and thin thickness of heat insulation layer, which effectively improves the space utilization of the battery pack.

● Good waterproof performance and longer service life.

● Toxic-free and harmless to the environment.

Aerogel come into Automotive Industry

In the field of automotive, aerogel materials can be used in both the manufacture of the conventional whole car and Electric Vehicle batteries.

Aerogel for Car fire barrier

Aerogel Materials Play Key Role for Automotive

For whole car, aerogel material can play the role of fire prevention, heat insulation, heat preservation, noise reduction, etc. Adding a layer of aerogel fire isolation wall between the driving compartment and the starting compartment, the fire point of the car is generally concentrated in the engine, and the interior of the car is mostly fabric and other flammable materials, the aerogel fire isolation wall can stop the fire from entering the driving compartment, leaving more precious time for the driver and passengers to evacuate.

Graphical:<Thermal runaway mechanism of lithium ion battery for electric vehicles: A review>
Xuning Feng, Minggao Ouyang, Xiang Liu, Languang Lu, Yong Xia, Xiangming He
State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

 

More Power of Resource: Lithium-ion Battery

Battery, the current power source of electric vehicles mainly comes from the lithium-ion battery-based power battery system. In response to consumer demand for electric vehicle mileage, the energy density of power batteries is constantly increasing. According to the report on the development plan of power batteries: in 2020, the energy density of individual cell level reaches 300Wh/kg; in 2025, it reaches 400Wh/kg; in 2030, it reaches 500Wh/kg.

 

Graphical:<Thermal runaway mechanism of lithium ion battery for electric vehicles: A review>
Xuning Feng, Minggao Ouyang, Xiang Liu, Languang Lu, Yong Xia, Xiangming He
State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

A Faultless Solution for the Battery Safety

In the energy density continues to improve, meanwhile, the safety of the power battery has become a new bottleneck. In recent years, there are repeatedly electric vehicle cause fire news in the press. Among them, the proportion of battery spontaneous combustion accounted for up to 38% of the cause of the fire.

Lithium-ion power battery in the occurrence of thermal runaway is a chain of exothermic process, not instantaneous completion. As the temperature continues to rise in the following order: high temperature capacity decay - SEI film decomposition - negative electrode - electrolyte reaction - the melting process of the diaphragm - the decomposition reaction of the positive electrode - the decomposition reaction of the electrolyte solution - the reaction of the negative electrode with the adhesive --electrolyte combustion, etc.

Battery Thermal Management Solutions between different EV company

This provides us with ideas to solve the thermal runaway of power battery. By adding a thermal insulation layer inside the battery pack and blocking the propagation of thermal runaway from the monomer to the surrounding area, the damage to the battery pack and the collateral damage can be reduced. On May 12th., 2020, GB 38031-2020 [Safety Requirements for Power Battery for Electric Vehicles] was released. This is one of the first mandatory national standards in the field of electric vehicles in China, which was implemented on January 1st., 2021.

Aerogel utility in the battery cells

While optimizing the safety requirements of battery modules, the standard focuses on strengthening the thermal, mechanical, electrical and functional safety requirements of the battery system, with test items covering thermal dispersion, external fire, mechanical shock, simulated impact, damp heat cycle, vibration, water immersion, external short circuit, over temperature and overcharge. In particular, it is required that the battery system will not catch fire or explode within 5 minutes after the thermal runaway, to reserve the escape time for people' safety.

Comparison of aerogel materials with conventional materials used in the battery field

Aerogel Material, EV's Now and Future

The solution of CATL, SAIC GM and Yutong Bus is to place aerogel between the battery cells. Aerogel material has low thermal conductivity, excellent fire and water resistance, small space occupation, long life and no pollution to the environment, so it is the best thermal insulation material for automotive batteries. At the same time, the performance of power trams is greatly affected by temperature, and low temperature will affect the performance of regenerative braking system, slow charging speed and not fully charged, aerogel can also ensure that the battery temperature will not be too low.

Automotive Safety Integrity Level(ASIL)-D, the Highest

According to SAIC-GM, the company has added aerogel composite material between the electric cells of the pure electric vehicle MAV Buick VELITE 6. It contributes to the high battery energy density of 140Wh/kg and low energy consumption of 13.1kW-h in the 410KM version of Buick VELITE 6, strengthens the safety of the Buick VELITE 6 battery pack, and lays the foundation for Buick VELITE 6 high-voltage system to meet the ASIL-D (the highest level of automotive safety rating) standard for system safety.

Aerogel composite materials have been installed in Buick VELITE 6