Kautex is well-known within the automotive industry as a Top 100 supplier of hybrid and conventional fuel systems. Translating that knowledge to battery systems has been a unique challenge that the global R&D team has readily embraced. In fact, you could say the challenge “lit a fire” under them to find solutions to this unanswered question: “Can plastic really meet the fire test requirements for a battery housing?”
While Kautex is well-versed in the fire test requirements for plastic fuel tanks, the testing for a battery system was an entirely new challenge, in part, because of how the fire reacts within a fuel tank versus a battery housing.
“To understand how to pass an external fire test for a battery system, we first had to understand the different chemical reactions that occur in a battery system versus a fuel tank,” said Felix Haas, director, Pentatonic product development. “With automotive fuel tanks, an external fire produces enough heat to evaporate the fuel in the tank, drawing energy away from the tank walls and allowing it to remain intact.”
“In a battery housing, the reaction is almost the opposite,” Haas continued. “Without proper protection, the thermoplastic just melts, direct exposing the battery cells.”
One solution - a fire-retardant spray coating which protected the Pentatonic battery housing structure when exposed to an external fire. The coating created a layer of insulation between the fire and the walls of the battery system. The team performed numerous fire tests in varying conditions, and Pentatonic’s material construction held up against external fires as hot as 850°C.
Not only did Pentatonic pass the required fire tests, but the system proved to be a built-in insulator for the battery cells – because of the superior insulating properties of thermoplastics composites versus metal. While a metal housing can hold its structure at up to 900 ˚C for three minutes, the heat is transferred to the battery cells which can subsequently reach temperatures of 300-400˚C, almost guaranteeing internal thermal propagation. As a countermeasure, today’s metals housings include insulating material or an “air gap” which serves as an insulator. While both are effective at insulating the battery cells, both solutions drive increased packaging and, in the case of an in insulating foam, additional material and cost.
By contrast, Kautex’s Pentatonic battery system successfully passed numerous external fire tests with wall temperatures of the battery housing reaching only 200˚C while the battery cells maintained a steady 100˚C – well within their required range. The system consistently proved that Kautex was able to meet the global external fire test requirements, ensuring passengers would have enough time to evacuate safely.
The video below shows one of several successful external fire tests. In this test case, the pack was positioned 1.5M above the rig. Gasoline was ignited in a bowl underneath the test pack so that the pack was subjected to the flames for 70 seconds. A disk was then used for shielding and left there for an additional 60 seconds. After the flames were extinguished, the system was observed for three hours for further monitoring.
About Kautex
At Kautex, we are driving the future. As a Tier One automotive supplier with more than 30 plants in 13 countries, Kautex designs, develops and manufactures traditional and hybrid fuel systems, advanced cleaning solutions for assisted and autonomous driving, engine camshafts and plastic industrial packaging solutions. A pioneer in the design and manufacture of automotive plastic fuel systems, Kautex is expanding its portfolio to offer smart products and data-driven services to our customers, including thermoplastic composite and composite-metal hybrid battery systems. From a lightweight battery system to a hybrid fuel system to autonomous drive vehicle cleaning systems, Kautex is committed to pioneering solutions for the era of new mobility.
Our employees are part of a global community committed to solving customer needs, leveraging diverse skillsets, making sustainability a differentiator, embracing the diversity that is part of a global, multi-industry leader and creating an environment where employees can build a dynamic career. Together, we are reimagining the future of mobility.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Contact details
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- Stephanie McClung
- Manager, Content Marketing & Employer Brand
- stephanie.mcclung@kautex.com
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