A German SDax company is making electric cars even greener with plastic

Plastic pipe from Norma

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Achieving climate neutrality is a mammoth task. Capital reports on innovations on the way there. This time: fasteners for lighter and more efficient electric cars

Challenge

The heart of an electric car is the thermal management, which is used to cool or heat the battery. For this, long and complex pipe systems are used in a very small space. The many turns of the pipes lead to a loss of pressure. However, a consistent flow is crucial for the efficiency of the battery. This is why stronger pumps or thicker rubber pipes are usually installed. Both lead to higher weight, higher costs – and a shorter range.

Innovation

The SDax corporation Norma Group relies on lightweight and flexible plastic solutions. The self-developed flexible smooth tube TP Flex reduces pressure loss by 55 percent, making the car more efficient. These and other lightweight plastic compounds come from three sustainable sources: P11 from castor oil, recycled production waste and old plastic, which is fished out of the oceans, for example.

In practice

An electric car has an average cooling system that is 20 meters long. Depending on the model, the use of plastics can save up to five kilograms in weight, which can increase the range of an electric car by several kilometers.

“Our leverage is the weight saved”

Jean-Luc Kirmann, Product Manager Norma Group

Jean-Luc Kirmann

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How does plastic make your industry greener?
JEAN-LUC KIRMANN: Many people don’t realize how crucial weight is for the efficiency of electric cars and therefore for a climate-friendly transport sector. Plastics are significantly lighter than rubber – which is usually used. In addition, recycling processes are getting better and better.

What proportion of all newly registered electric cars use Norma technology?
About 15 percent. In total, that’s an incredible amount of weight saved and therefore our biggest lever.

How does China’s current economic weakness affect you?
China is and remains the center of gravity in electromobility, including for us. However, the biggest challenge currently facing the expansion of e-mobility is not China: it is the high costs and the need for expandable charging infrastructure.

Published in Capital 9/2024

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