Autoneum launches textile battery undercovers to make EVs light and silent

In order to support vehicle manufacturers in the production of lightweight and environmentally-friendly e-models, Autoneum is extending its product portfolio with textile battery undercovers made of Ultra-Silent that optimally meet the specific requirements for acoustic and thermal management of electric vehicles. These lightweight components enable a greater driving range and regulate noise levels at the same time.

Autoneum offers various multifunctional components such as carpet systems, inner dashes and underbody systems, which have a positive impact on the driving range thanks to their light weight and which are specially tailored to the acoustic and thermal management needs of electric vehicles.

The battery undercovers made of Ultra-Silent (the Company’s new textile underbody technology) act as insulators helping to lower sound that enters the passenger cabin, for instance, caused by tyres, and also pass-by noise. Sound-reducing components are essential for electric models as well because external and internal sources such as fans, pumps and electronic drive components are more audible due to the lack of engine noise and accordingly influence driving comfort. At the same time, the textile battery undercovers are claimed to make the components up to 50 percent lighter than corresponding components made of plastic and thus ensuring a greater driving range.

Undercovers made of Ultra-Silent are installed underneath the battery casing, providing the battery cells with the best possible protection against significant cooling or heating and ensuring a constant temperature with a correspondingly optimised battery capacity. As a result, the components help to improve battery performance. Autoneum further claims that they are also resistant to water, stone chipping and vibrations and thus help to protect the battery casing. In order to calibrate the temperature resistance and material stiffness of undercovers, Autoneum uses a broad range of internally developed simulation tools. They are deployed in both the development phase of new electric models as well as in the further development of those already on sale.

Lightweight components made of Ultra-Silent are mostly made from recycled PET fibers that can be fully reclaimed, making them particularly environmentally-friendly. Components made of Ultra-Silent are produced in the Company’s plants in Sevelen, Switzerland, Gundernhausen, Germany, Jeffersonville (Indiana), USA, and Pinghu, China, and are already in use in models of European, US and Chinese automobile manufacturers. From July 2020 onwards, the first battery undercovers will be produced in series at the Gundernhausen plant for the fully-electric model of a German premium manufacturer.