Electric cars for a greener future

Around 25 percent of the total global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions come from the transport sector. Here, the biggest climate offenders are road vehicles such as cars, trucks, and buses. This is also reflected in figures from the European Commission, for example. These figures show that passenger cars alone are responsible for around 12 percent of the EU’s total CO₂ emissions. To meet the 2050 Paris climate agreement of achieving global carbon neutrality in the second half of the century, most countries around the world are doing their utmost to push their emissions down further in the coming years. A major measure to reduce CO₂ emissions is already well underway with the electrification of vehicles. As more charging infrastructure is rolled out and consumers continue to be offered incentives to ‘go electric’, electric mobility solutions are gaining real momentum pushing the automotive industry into a pivotal technological transformation.

Such an environmentally friendly transformation requires wholesale changes in the construction of today's vehicles. Even though electric vehicles continue to capture market share as research company Bloomberg’s New Energy Finance latest annual forecast “The Electric Vehicle Outlook” shows, that by 2040, 58 percent of global passenger vehicle sales will be electric ones - there are still manufacturing challenges to overcome. These stem mainly from new battery concepts and related structural re-considerations, as well as the emerging importance of lightweight design. Consequently, the combination of dissimilar materials being used is becoming more common, and this is why tailored adhesive solutions are now playing such a decisive role in in electric vehicle manufacturing.

To address these more complex demands, Evonik's Crosslinkers business line has developed a series of polyamide curing agents specifically tailored for epoxy adhesives. For example, Ancamide^® 910 polyamide curing agent is particularly suitable for bonding dissimilar substrates. This curing agent is a versatile, flexible hardener designed for use with liquid epoxy resin. The engineered chemistry of Ancamide® 910 provides a unique combination of properties not found in other epoxy hardeners available today. The product delivers excellent adhesion and peel strength without any special surface pre-treatment on different materials, such as steel, aluminum or engineering plastics. It also imparts excellent thermal shock resistance and good electrical properties to epoxy-based formulations. In addition, Ancamide^® 910 has a lower viscosity compared to standard polyamides, which for example also enables the formulation of higher filled adhesives with thermal conductive properties. The unique combination of properties makes Ancamide^® 910 curing agent an attractive choice for formulators coping with the current and future challenges in lightweight and efficient electric vehicle production.

Crosslinkers - Creating Marketable and Intelligent Solutions

Mechanical strength, durability, chemical resistance and excellent color stability and adhesion properties – Evonik´s business line Crosslinkers offers tailor-made solutions for customers all over the world. As a raw material supplier, we have a profound understanding of the needs of our customers and their unique markets. Our range of products and expertise generates added value in a number of areas: from coatings and adhesives to civil engineering, high-performance elastomers and composites.

The unique combination of properties makes Ancamide^® 910 curing agent an attractive choice for formulators coping with the current and future challenges in lightweight and efficient electric vehicle production.