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The need to reduce weight and cost of battery systems for electric vehicles has led to continued interest in metal-to-plastic substitution and mixed-material designs for battery enclosures. However, the ever-increasing performance requirements of such systems pose a challenge for plastic materials to meet. In an effort to design a cost-effective, lightweight next-generation battery enclosure while meeting the latest requirements, a new thermal runaway test method was developed, and several materials were screened. The objectives of this development project were twofold. The first was to develop a small-scale test method representative of real-world thermal runaway conditions that could be used early in the design process.

As we move toward electrification in future mobility, weight and cost reduction continue to be priorities in vehicle development. This has led to continued interest in advanced molding processes and holistic design to enable polymer materials for demanding structural applications such as pickup truck beds. In addition to performance, it is necessary to continue to improve styling, functionality, quality, and sustainability to exceed customer expectations in a competitive market. To support development of a lightweight truck bed design, a cross-functional team objectively explored the latest materials and manufacturing technologies relevant to this application. In Phase 1 of this work, the team considered a variety of alternatives for each functional area of the bed, including thermoplastic and thermoset materials with a range of processing technologies.