SABIC to highlight BLUEHERO™ electrification initiative and advanced material solutions for batteries and energy storage at the battery show Europe 2022

SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, will showcase, for the first time, its strategic BLUEHERO™ electrification initiative at The Battery Show Europe 2022 (Booth 8-F10) from June 28 to 30 in Stuttgart, Germany, while also highlighting its comprehensive materials offering and expertise for next-generation batteries and energy storage applications. The recently announced BLUEHERO initiative underscores SABIC’s commitment to support the shift to electric power, with the delivery of automotive polymer materials, solutions and capabilities for the optimization of EV battery systems as its first area of focus.

“The global transition toward clean energy and decarbonization is driving innovation in batteries at an ever faster pace and the battery industry needs new materials with the right property profiles to implement more sustainable, safer and efficient energy storage concepts,” said Bob Maughon, Executive Vice President, Sustainability, Technology & Innovation and Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer at SABIC. “We are firmly committed to support manufacturers with dedicated R&D, focused application engineering, regulatory expertise, and one of the most comprehensive portfolios of high-performance thermoplastics available today so they can make the advances needed to help the world accelerate the shift to clean electricity.”

SABIC’s exhibit at The Battery Show Europe 2022 addresses the need for new battery designs with enhanced features across all levels, from structural integrity to operating safety. Applications, test samples and key visuals on display have been prepared to illustrate and demonstrate the potential overall cost and performance benefits of plastic-intensive solutions in terms of energy density, flame retardancy, electrical safety, thermal insulation, chemical resistance, lightweighting, functional integration, impact resistance and dimensional stability. The company’s offering is targeted at all types of battery components for electric vehicles (EV), E-bikes, marine and industrial vehicles (forklifts, caterpillars) as well as EV charging infrastructure and energy storage systems (ESS).

Close-up on fire safety

SABIC has done extensive research on the performance of EV batteries exposed to external fires and internal runaway situations, a critical focus area of automakers today. At this year’s Battery Show Europe, SABIC’s team will feature its work in this space and share test results that demonstrate the potential of thermoplastic to meet high temperature and pressure loads.

As an example, SABIC will highlight results from a stringent test based on the new UL standard 2596, which is even more demanding and difficult for plastic battery pack materials to pass. It combines pressure, ablative force, heat, and fire into one repeated test, in which 25 battery cells (type 18650) are packed into a steel box and then two cells are heated to the point of thermal runaway. The pressure from the explosion can be higher than the requirements of several OEMs. A 4 mm sheet of STAMAX™ flame retardant resin, a long glass fiber polypropylene material, passed this test six times without any perforation. 

One of the highlights at SABIC’s booth is an installation that brings fire testing to the trade show floor using high-tech visual special effects. The Virtual Flame Test Lab allows visitors to execute a simulated flame test on material samples of aluminum and structural thermoplastics. Each step of the test is analyzed and explained while the fire virtually burns the samples. 

Highest CTI performance level category for higher-voltage batteries

To help meet the EV manufacturers’ stringent demands of higher-voltage batteries, SABIC’s Specialties business will introduce its new NORYL™ NHP8000VT3 resin at the show. This high-performance, polyphenylene ether (PPO)-based resin achieves the highest comparative tracking index performance level category (CTI PLC0), provides ultra-thin-wall extrusion and thermoforming capability, and meets the UL94 V0 standard at 0.25 mm with non-brominated, non-chlorinated flame retardance. NORYL NHP8000VT3 resin is well suited for insulation film used in EV battery modules to help improve protection against short circuits and fire propagation.

The insulation film and thermoformed part made of NORYL NHP8000VT3 will be displayed at SABIC’s booth.

Delivering additional value

Beyond fire safety, SABIC’s non-halogenated FR resins provide greater design flexibility, significant weight savings – an important feature for supporting the improved driving ranges of EVs – and recyclability to support the circularity of battery materials. 

In addition, the company offers special materials with low temperature ductility to deliver enhanced performance of batteries operated in extremely cold climate, and is also developing hybrid solutions to address additional stringent requirements, such as impact strength and stiffness, over a broad range of temperatures from -30°C to +80°C.

See, experience and discuss

Once again, SABIC’s Petrochemicals and Specialties businesses will exhibit side-by-side at The Battery Show Europe, demonstrating how their complementing material portfolios and application development support can help manufacturers reduce system cost and speed the time-to-market of safer and more energy-efficient batteries.

Featured exhibits and solutions from the Petrochemicals portfolio at the show will include, in addition to the Virtual Flame Test Lab simulator:

• A SABIC Battery Explorer installation, providing a virtual dive into a battery pack design using the latest thermoplastic technologies. Visitors will be able to take the battery pack model apart, reassemble it and zoom in to see its specific design features
• Honda’s Silver Edison Award winning EV battery pack cover that meets stringent fire safety requirements while eliminating thermal blankets and reducing weight by 40% vs a similar design in metal
• An all-plastic prototype EV battery tray structure with integrated cooling channels and crash protection elements, for up to 12% weight savings compared to one in an existing aluminum EV battery pack
• SABIC’s Everflow joint venture for next-generation vanadium redox flow (VRF) long-duration batteries using SABIC’s polymer grades for key components such as the battery stack, tank and piping, developed and tested with SABIC’s expert team
• An innovative energy storage system concept based on second-life EV batteries
• An EV charging connector made from VALOX™ FR resin
• Laser marked VALOX resin CTI600V, demo plaques in orange color, for High Voltage connectors

Featured exhibits and solutions from SABIC’s Specialties business will include:

• NORYL NHP8000VT3 resin for ultra-thin battery insulation films with CTI PLC0 and UL94 V0 rating at 0,25 mm
• ELCRES™ HTV150A dielectric film for traction inverters, onboard chargers and electrical compressors of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full battery-electric vehicles, offering stable electric properties throughout a wide temperature range (-40°C to +150°C) and frequencies (up to 100 kHz) at only 3 µm film thickness
• Lightweight laminated sandwich panel with honeycomb structures for exceptional acoustic, vibration and thermal insulation as well as superior dimensional stability at reduced weight vs. metals or thermosets
• Next generation battery pack prototype well-suited for module enclosures and covers, energy absorbers, cell spacers and cell frames, etc.
• Battery side protection molded in NORYL GTX9600 resin for e-coating temperature resistance and robust energy absorption at service temperatures 
• Lightweight battery pack applications in NORYL product for marine battery pack, with excellent dimensional stability, flame retardancy, chemical and hydrolytic resistance
• Lightweight and crash resistant battery pack housing molded in LNP™ copolymers for E-bicycles

Visitors are encouraged to explore these exhibits at Booth 8-F10 and discuss the potential of SABIC’s portfolio of materials and services for their next-generation battery products with the company’s on-site team.