igus solutions for electromobility

Steffen Schack | 3. April 2020

Gradually experts, companies and governments are declaring the end of the straight internal combustion engine. Electromobility has ushered in a new era that involves change and requires rethinking many technologies. This poses new technical challenges to developers of all types of vehicles.  

What will change, and how can igus  motion plastics® provide support? 

The normal internal combustion engine operating noises will be eliminated …

Electric vehicles are much quieter, creating a new perception of quality on the part of customers. Every noise in the interior is more consciously perceived and usually felt to be a disturbance.  Polymer iglidur plain bearings are elastic and prevent the development of unnecessary noise. Solid lubricants are homogeneously integrated into igus polymer plain bearings, and there is no thin, susceptible PTFE coating that  can be destroyed (worn away) as there is in metallic plain bearings. The metal-on-metal situation (and associated noises) cannot arise and is avoided with iglidur polymer bearings.  

Weight reduction and the associated range increase or emissions reduction is becoming a higher priority …

iglidur polymers have a weight advantage over metallic materials of up to 80%. This increases range in electric vehicles, where every gramme counts.  

Changes in the area of thermal management/air conditioning …

Battery packs must be cooled or warmed , and the elimination of the internal combustion engine requires new climate control concepts.  Among the benefits igus offers  is tribologically optimised plain bearing solutions for climate control technology and thermal management.  Special iglidur materials that exhibit high chemical and temperature resistance (continuous use temperatures of up to 300°C) are already being used in millions of applications such as coolant pumps.  These plain bearings can run directly in media (important: the hydrodynamic effect arising is necessary if polymer plain bearings are to be used at high speed).  In the exterior, igus polymers’ corrosion resistance is an advantage in applications such as the kinematics/actuators of cooling blinds  and grille shutters .  

Optimised aerodynamics …

An electric vehicle’s lower air resistance increases its efficiency. Quick-moving aerodynamic packages in the exterior help. igus offers solutions such as igubal spherical bearings (https://www.igus.eu/igubal) and its patented dryspin lead screw technology (https://www.igus.eu/dryspin).   

There are many options for using igus products in the area of electromobility. What innovative concept are you pursuing? How can we support you? 

You are welcome to contact me at any time for further information and individual advice concerning your application.   

I look forward to hearing from you:
 
Steffen Schack
 Phone: +49(0)2203-9649-9827
Mobile: +49(0)172-3030956
e-mail: sschack@igus.net