BYD’s first global sharing ‘e-Platform’ introduces e-motor mount brackets made with BASF’s innovative material solutions
- BASF’s proprietary simulation technology optimizes loading behavior and enables further weight reduction
- Innovation capability helps accelerate speed-to-market
Shanghai, China – June 22, 2020 – BYD, China’s leading original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of new energy vehicles (EV), has introduced e-motor mount brackets made with BASF’s Ultramid® polyamide in its first global sharing platform for new energy vehicles, called “e-platform”. Compared with conventional aluminum brackets, the high-performance material solution provides improved vibration reduction and better thermal insulating characteristics. Ultramid weighs less while being able to withstand the same load.
“We have had a great collaboration with BASF on various automotive applications since 2016. With the launch of the first global sharing EV platform, we have been able to bring products to the market made with BASF’s advanced, lightweight material solution that enables sustainable e-mobility. E-motor mount brackets made with Ultramid are more than 40% lighter than aluminum equivalents. This important feature helps our EV customers to increase the range of their vehicles,” said Lijun Wang, Senior Engineer, Chassis Department, BYD.
The mounting bracket, which helps to support the e-motor, is molded from Ultramid A3WG10, a highly reinforced grade of polyamide. These plastic mount brackets have a high mechanical loading ability and are less likely to creep in the confined space inside the motor compartment under continuous load. They can also withstand high bending moments, depending on the installation conditions in the motor compartment.
Thanks to its outstanding vibration damping, the new mount brackets bring a superior level of comfort to passengers. Additionally, the heat conduction of the plastic is considerably less than that of aluminum. Ultramid provides better protection for the mount rubber in the brackets from the motor’s heat and thus increases its service life.
“The EV automotive industry has been looking for composites that can save weight and reduce noise, vibration, and harshness. By providing sustainable and innovative solutions, we can help them achieve these goals,” said Desmond Long, Vice President, Business Management Transportation, Performance Materials Asia Pacific.
In addition to checking these requirements in rig tests, BASF also collaborated with Anhui Zhongding NVH Co. Ltd., a tier-1 producer of plastic brackets, at the very early development phase of the complex-shaped mount brackets. Through the use of BASF’s proprietary simulation technology Ultrasim®, the part’s behavior could be accurately predicted under various loading and environmental conditions. As such, Ultrasim helped optimize the design and maximize the strength and performance of the application at the earliest stage, with efficient usage of materials. This made it possible to reduce the number of prototypes and to incorporate ribbing early, which helps withstand high loads.
“Our focus has always been to closely collaborate with customers, fulfilling their market needs, and meeting regulatory requirements. Our New Market & Incubation unit has further enabled us to gain insights and generate future collaboration opportunities with customers,” said Andy Postlethwaite, Senior Vice President, Performance Materials Asia Pacific, BASF. “This has been instrumental in helping us speed up and boost our innovation power and penetrate new markets.”
Backed by its research and development and simulation competencies, BASF can help optimize and co-develop innovative applications, at the same time lowering development costs and ensuring faster commercialization. More than 40 applications across industries were made possible by BASF’s innovative material solutions and competencies in 2019.
About BASF’s Performance Materials division
BASF’s Performance Materials division encompasses the entire materials’ know-how of BASF regarding innovative, customized plastics under one roof. Globally active in four major industry sectors – transportation, construction, industrial applications and consumer goods – the division has a strong portfolio of products and services combined with deep understanding of application-oriented system solutions. Key drivers of profitability and growth are our close collaboration with customers and a clear focus on solutions. Strong capabilities in R&D provide the basis to develop innovative products and applications. In 2019, the Performance Materials division achieved global sales of €6.06 bn. More information online: www.plastics.basf.com.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 117,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €59 billion in 2019. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.
